US to support in establishing a modern university in Thar Consul General Robert Silberstein appreciates NED engineering college in Mithi

on 27/01/2020

US Consul General Robert Silberstein, who called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House, assured that his government will support establishing a state-of-the-art university in Tharparkar district.
The American envoy told the chief minister that he visited NED engineering college in Mithi and appreciated the step of the provincial government but said it was a small institute. At this, the chief minister said he had already reserved a 300 acre land for the university and said it was a dream to establish a full-fledged university.
Mr. Robert assured the chief minister that the American government would support the provincial government in establishing a state-of-art university in Thar.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that his government was working hard to generate clean energy by installing wind and solar power projects.
“The breakthrough the Sindh government has made in coal-fired power generation in Thar is a milestone in the country and these projects have not only created employment opportunities for the locals but have changed the dynamics of lifestyle in Thar desert where women empowerment has become the major intervention,” he said.
Shah said that the project development was a gigantic task and the more difficult task was the settlement of the affected people in a better way by passing on the benefits of the projects established on their ancestral lands. “Now look at the residential colonies we have established for affected people,” he said and added they were enjoying quite a comfortable life which is a fusion of their desert and modern life. “We have given them beautiful houses with corridors and igloo type of room locally called as `Choanra’, a mosque, a temple, beautiful school, hospital, electricity, water supply and top of it grazing area for their cattle which they keep like their family members,” he said.
Mr. Robert Silberstein told the chief minister that he visited the area and the coal projects, wind projects and the human settlement made by the government impressed him very much. He added that the thing which worried him was locust swarm in the desert area. “It was quite horrible and must be destroyed at the earliest because some experts have told me if they were not killed this year they would cause a catastrophe next year.”
The chief minister said that he has provided a grant of Rs10 million to the federal government plant protection department to conduct aerial spray in the desert area.

Over US$406 m secured for Khyber Pass Economic Corridor Project

on 27/01/2020

The federal government and the World Bank have signed a loan agreement worth $406.6 million for Khyber Pass Economic Corridor (KPEC) Project.
In a separate move, Islamabad inked a deal with Germany for financing Hydropower and Renewable Energy phase-II.
Dr. Syed Pervaiz Abbas, Secretary Economic Affairs Division and the country director of the bank Patchamuthu Illangovan signed the document.
KPEC project is a 48Km long 4-Lane dual carriageway from Peshawar to Torkham.
This project will promote economic development and uplift areas adjoining expressway falling in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
The Project envisages developing clusters of economic activity including economic zones and expressways.
Connecting transport infrastructure and economic zones are expected to provide a strong foundation for private businesses and investments in these zones.
The expressway between Peshawar and Kabul through the Khyber Pass represents a section of Corridors 5 and 6 of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC).
Corridor 5, which runs through Pakistan, has the potential to provide the shortest link between landlocked Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Arabian Sea.
Corridor 6 provides access to Europe, the Middle East and Russia. The KPEC will finance the Peshawar-Torkham expressway portion of Corridor-5.
The Peshawar-Torkham expressway will reduce transit time and cost of regional and international trade transiting the Khyber Pass and extend till Karachi-Lahore-Islamabad-Peshawar Trans-Pakistan Expressway System. It will form an integral part of the planned Peshawar-Kabul-Dushanbe Motorway. The improved regional connectivity through this corridor will not only facilitate the commercial traffic and expand economic activities between Pakistan and Afghanistan but also promote private sector development along the corridor. It is expected to generate up to 100,000 new jobs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The same day, Dr. Syed Pervaiz Abbas signed an agreement with the German Development Bank (KfW) for Hydropower Renewable Energy-II. Mr. Wolfgang Moellers, the country director represented the bank.
Under the Agreement, KfW will provide grant assistance worth €12.5 Million to the government of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Agha Khan Rural Support Program.
The project has two components. One, the Hydropower component that will be implemented by the Water & Power Department, GB and, two, the Biodiversity component which will be implemented by the Agha Khan Rural Support Program.
The implementation of HRE-II in GB will contribute to the provision of electricity for the population of Hunza and Nagar through the utilization of its abundant water resources, which will improve living standards and livelihoods of the local population and the region

A 1320MW coal-fired power generation project signed

on 27/01/2020

Pakistan has signed an implementation agreement (IA) with a Chinese company for a 1320MW coal-fired power generation under the CPEC umbrella project.
Shah Jahan Mirza, Managing Director PPIB and Meng Donghai, CEO Thar Coal Block-I Power Generation Company Limited (TCB-I) signed the documents.
The implementation agreement (IA) of Pakistan’s largest Thar coal-based power generation project of 1,320 MW power generation capacity has been signed at PPIB for materializing the financing of 1,912.2 million US$ as the cumulative project cost. The project is based on Super Critical Technology.
The 1,320 MW Shanghai Electric Thar Block-1 Coal Project is being developed under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through Project Company i.e. TCB-I while Shanghai Electric Group Company is the main sponsor of the project. The project will utilize Thar coal supplied by Sino Sindh Resources Limited which is executing coal mining operations for coal extraction in the Thar coalfield Block-I.
The letter of Support has already been issued to the project by PPIB while financial closing is expected to be achieved very soon.

Pakistan Cables launches ‘Shabash Ustaad’

on 27/01/2020

Pakistan Cables announced the launch of an experience-based program, ‘SHAHBASH USTAAD’ for its Loyalty Club members recently.
‘ShahbashUstaad’ is developed to recognize the efforts of top-performing electricians, who work diligently and support the company’s mission of providing world-class wiring solutions manufactured by Pakistan Cables.
Winners of Shahbash Ustaad are selected, among members of the company’s ongoing Loyalty Club, followed by a series of verifications. Upon successful selection, the selected ‘Ustaad’ is rewarded with a fun-filled day with his family.
As part of the roll out, Muhammad Aslam from Karachi, Muhammad Naveed from Lahore, Shabir Ahmed from Islamabad and Mujahhhiiid Hussain from Multan were selected. Members have widely appreciated the efforts by the company for celebrating and rewarding their hard work in a unique way.
Pakistan Cables set up the Loyalty Club in 2005. Since then a number of electricians have been part of it and continue to earn rewards through it. Upon purchase of a product, members can take the coupon out of the box and submit points against each coupon. The points are redeemed against prizes, information of which members can access through catalogues and a dedicated call center facility.

Renewable power projects succeed getting over 5,800 acres in Sindh Seven projects would be installed in Thatta district, one in Dadu and two in Jamshoro

on 23/01/2020

The Sindh Cabinet has approved the allotment of 5,801 acres of land to National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) and 10 private firms on 30-year lease to install renewable power plants and National Grid Station.
The allotments of land would be carried out in accordance with the guidance of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The allotment of 5,801 acres of land to 10 power companies, including NTDC would fetch Rs9.13 billion, the cabinet was informed.
The moot also allowed the operators of renewable power plants to install other power plants if they so desire subject to the fulfillment of government requirements and clearance of lease money.
According to Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, a number of 10 renewable power companies, wind and solar, and NTDC have applied for allotment of land measuring 5801 acres for installation of wind and solar projects in Sindh’s three districts, Thatta, Dadu, and Jamshoro.
Seven projects would be installed in Thatta district, one in Dadu and two in Jamshoro.
The concerned deputy commissioners have reported availability of land and have also suggested annual lease money at a rate of RS3000, Rs5000 and Rs8000 per acre per annum for different categories of land.
Senior Member Board of Revenue (BoR) Kazi Shahid Pervez told the cabinet that the land could be allotted as per guidance of the Supreme Court. The cabinet approved the allotment of land and directed SMBR to make necessary arrangements.
Sindh is becoming a center of alternate energy projects and a month earlier the Sindh government moved to solarise the entire province under $100mln World Bank project.
Titled as the Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP), assisted by the World Bank, it will help electrify the province one hundred percent while offering the most affordable power tariffs to the consumers, Imtiaz Shaikh claims.
“The $100 million project will benefit every Pakistani in terms of decreased basket price of electricity that will be made available to the consumers following its (project’s) execution.”
The project was conceived by the provincial government to utilize the maximum potential of the province to produce power through renewable means of energy abundantly available here.”
The SSEP is a World Bank-funded project that aims at installing solar systems on rooftops on all government buildings in Karachi and Hyderabad, deploying solar home systems in rural households (200,000 in the first phase) through the off-grid method, and installing a utility-scale solar power system in the province of 400 megawatts.
The Sindh government would formally sign the contract agreements with the firms to initiate household energy surveys and rooftop building surveys at a ceremony to be held at the Chief Minister House.
Sindh government was fully facilitating the installation of new wind energy projects in the Jhimpir wind corridor as 12 such projects had recently signed energy purchase agreements with the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), the minister added.
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has awarded the license to Sindh Transmission and Despatch Company (STDC) to act as the country’s first-ever provincial grid company.
“Once the license is awarded to the STDC, it will lay its own transmission lines and construct grid stations for the evacuation of electricity from the upcoming renewable projects to be installed in the province.”
Oliver Knight, senior energy specialist at World Bank, says the pilot project to solarize homes through off-grid system would initially be implemented in ten districts of the province and later this initiative would also be introduced in other towns of the province.
The World Bank had accorded approval to the project, Knight said and added that a proper survey would be conducted to carefully select the government buildings in Karachi and Hyderabad to install solar systems on their rooftops.
SSEP has the potential of producing 500 to 700MWs through a distributed generation system.