Alternative energy resources untapped in Pakistan

By Umer Bhatti
THE Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) commissioned only one pilot project of producing electricity from wind energy in 2009 in collaboration with SUNEC China at Kalarkahar, having a capacity of 10x2KW while no practical steps were taken for power generation from solar energy.

According to sources, SUNEC China in collaboration with the AEDB had a programme to produce 1,000MW electricity by using wind power but it could only achieve 20KW power capacity.

A notable development regarding the development of alternative energy for electricity generation during 2009 was the successful completion of negotiations on Energy Purchase Agreement (EPA) for setting up a 50MW wind power plant by the Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC). Sources in the Pakistan Electric Power Company said there were chances that the power plant would be inducted in the national grid within the first quarter of 2010.

Another development of the AEDB in collaboration with Pepco was the completion and submission to the National Electronic Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) of the documents for amending the grid code. The move was made for facilitating integration of the wind power projects in the national grid. The sources said the documents had been sent back by Nepra due to some loopholes and then they had been submitted back to the authority after five successive meetings.

In 2009, the AEDB also finalized of the agreement of the Green Power Private Limited (GPPL) for generation of 50MW electricity from wind energy.

An Islamabad-based company ‘FirstSolar’ wants to install a solar energy power plant of 1MW in partnership with the Pepco. It has been learnt that the company requires 12 acres of land anywhere in the country from the AEDB which has yet to be allocated.

It is also pertinent to note that electricity can be generated from solar energy only in the areas where there is no agriculture and the most suitable area for the purpose is Balochistan where there is little or no agriculture.

The AEDB is also working on isolated projects of generating electricity from solar and wind in which a photovoltaic cell is used to facilitate a single house or a limited area.

For electricity generation from solar energy in 2009, the Punjab government signed an agreement with a Japanese company and bought the land from the Bahawalpur University to install 2MW solar power plant, which would be a gift from the Japanese government.

The AEDB started developing Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for solar power generation in 2009. In the same year, a training regarding Interconnection Studies (the testing done before connecting a plant to the grid) was initiated by board. This training would be funded by the USAID and the UNDP and it would be exclusive for the Wind Energy Project, a sub-project of the AEDB. Furthermore, the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) of Pepco would nominate the persons for the training and so far the NTDC had planned to nominate one person each from the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). Eight persons would be nominated by the NTDC itself.

The AEDB has also demanded to train one of its officials and if it happens, the NTDC will withdraw its candidate from the training list.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=216247