Energy

Thermal power costs 5 times of hydroelectric

During the last eight years hydropower cost remained at Rs 1.08 per unit compared to the thermal generation’s cost of Rs 5.36 per unit, therefore Pakistan needs to focus on hydropower generation to resolve its longstanding power shortfall issue.

Statistics available on the occasion of eight-year completion of 1450 Megawatts (MW) Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project (GBHP), reveals that the project contributed about 53 billion units of electricity to the national grid, registering revenues of Rs 226.5 billion to the national exchequer. Read More »Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project

Associated Press of Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Thar coal project will be operational from December 2013 which will bring prosperity in the country, said Dr Samar Mubarakmand member Science and Technology Planning Commission on Thursday. Talking to… Read More »Thar coal project to be operational from Dec 2013

The biggest threat to our economic security today is the non-availability of reliable and continuous power supply. We are fortunate enough to be blessed with unlimited sunshine that can easily meet the national energy needs. Solar energy, being reliable and affordable, will not only help in easing the power crisis but also diversify the energy portfolio by including more in-state resources Read More »The prospects of solar energy for power generation

The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is all set to establish first on-grid solar electricity generation system in the country during the current year to overcome energy crisis.

“This solar system and smart grid is becoming a reality in less than a year,” said PEC Chairperson Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, addressing a press conference Saturday.Read More »Pakistan to have first on-grid solar electricity generation system

By Ashfak Bokhari

THE decision to carry out the test burn of coal earlier than the scheduled date of March next year under the Underground Coal Gasification Project is good news. The need for converting coal into electricity to overcome the ever-aggravating power crisis has never been as urgent as it is today.

Dr Samar Mubarakmand, the nuclear scientist, who runs the UGC is also a member of the Planning Commission dealing with this project. The decision to revisit the test burn date was taken after he met President Zardari before his departure for China.Read More »Thar coal test burn

ayyab Siddiqui  Pakistan’s energy crisis is assuming alarming proportions, with no immediate solution in sight. Pakistan entered into negotiations with Iran and India on the IPI gas pipeline project in the mid-1990s. After inordinate delays, the agreement was finally signed on March 16 in Istanbul. India had earlier walked out of the talks. Under the agreement, Pakistan will receive 750 million CMFD (computational multiphase fluid dynamics) of gas per day by the middle of 2015 for the next 25 years. The total cost of the project is estimated at $7.4 billion.
The agreement had hardly been signed when US special envoy Richard Holbrooke reiterated US opposition to any deal with Iran in view of Washington’s standoff with Tehran on the nuclear issue. As an alternative, the US offered to assist Pakistan in obtaining liquefied natural gas (LNG) and electricity from Tajikistan via Afghanistan, within four years.Read More »Politics of energy

Sources of energy derived from biological sources may reduce global dependence on fossil fuels that emit harmful gases, but they entail the use of large volumes of water and pose the risk of introducing undesirable crops into ecosystems, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns in a report.
The report, ‘Accessing Biofuel,’ recommends new planning and management approaches to balance the beneficial effects of the production of biofuels — which do not produce gases associated with climate change — with their environmental and social consequences.
“There is no doubt that we need to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and move to cleaner, more environmentally friendly options,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “But we need to make sure we are not creating more problems than we solve. Read More »Renewable Energy

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer with the assistance of renowned water experts has prepared a 100-point report, which highlights benefits of Kalabagh Dam (KBD) construction.
Talking to Nawa-i-Waqt Sunday, Salmaan said the project had been made a political issue.
“If the benefits of KBD reach the people of all the four provinces, I am certain that they will definitely force their provincial governments to decide in favour of the dam,” he maintained, adding that only the PPP could ensure construction of the KBD. The governor also called upon the PML-N and other parties to make efforts to pave the way for the much-delayed project.
He said both internal and external forces were against the construction of KBD. Salmaan regretted that the internal hands had failed to contemplate its benefits.Read More »LAHORE: Taseer readies 100-point report on Kalabagh Dam benefits

MULTAN: A Lahore-based company has started manufacturing solar water pumps with a two-inch diameter water outlet which the company claims is capable of irrigating upto 10 acre crops.

National Engineering’s senior technical manager Sharafat Ali told that alternative energy resources were becoming more relevant by each passing day amid power shortages and the high cost involved. The solar water pump with a two-inch delivery diameter can pump 100,000 liter water out of the ground a day.
Read More »Solar water pumps to irrigate crops in Pakistan