Govt going to lay foundation of producing cheap electricity in country: Khurram Dastagir

ISLAMABAD, Sep 14 (SABAH): Minister for Power Engineer Khurram Dastagir Khan has said that the government is going to lay foundation of producing cheap electricity in the country.

This was said by Minister for Power Engineer Khurram Dastagir Khan while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday. He said that the government also called in to work on the solar energy, adding that the government heading towards practical measures for decreasing the painful prices of electricity. 

He said that the government has decided to optimally utilize indigenous sources of energy instead of relying on expensive imported fuel for generation of electricity.

He said that shifting the entire electricity generation on indigenous sources will lessen burden on national exchequer and provide cheap electricity to consumers.

The minister for power said the indigenous sources of energy in Pakistan are solar, wind, hydel, coal and nuclear which are not only cost effective but also environment friendly.

He said that bidding of a 600 megawatt pilot solar project is being completed on Wednesday [Sep 14] which will determine the cost of these projects and then through these sources, eleven thousand megawatts electricity will be added to the national grid in the coming years.

Khurram Dastgir Khan said the government has also planned to initiate solar power projects in rural areas while the government will install solar system at buildings and agricultural tube wells will also be solarized. He said currently the government is working on a number of power projects which will add two thousand megawatts electricity to the national grid by next year.

He said a 1320 megawatt Shanghai Thar Coal Power Project will be completed by the end of this year.