The Sindh Solar Energy Project has been initiated by the Energy Department Govt of Sindh with the Financial and technical support of the World Bank.
The objective of the project is to scale-up of solar power in Sindh Province and increase access to electricity and fulfill International commitments on climate change through various modes of solar power deployment.
Establishment of 400 MW Solar Power Park through Solar Auction
The project aims to establish 400 MW Solar Power Park through Solar power auctions in line with the best international practices. The first competitive bidding is being held for 50 MW solar power park at Manjhand, district Jamshoro. The contract agreement has been signed by Sindh Energy Department with local and international consortium comprising of Bridge Factor (Pakistan) and Tractebel ENGIE (Germany) in association with Renewable Resources Limited (Pakistan), Pakistan, Ashurst Law (Singapore) and Axis Law (Pakistan). The signing ceremony was witnessed by Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh at Energy Department. Under the Project, a sustainable cost-effective competitive bidding scheme to deploy Solar PV plants in the Sindh province will be developed and piloted. This Project will also have a wider relevance for the whole of Pakistan for the development of competitive bidding schemes.
Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh reiterated the vision of the government of Sindh to promote clean and cheap energy for the socio-economic uplift of the country. He directed the project team to expedite the activation of all energy resources especially renewable.
The Minister informed that currently, the share of renewable energy in Pakistan’s energy mix is minimal whereas other developing countries have set ambitious targets to enhance the share of renewable energy sources. Being indigenous, clean, and economical resource having a short gestation period, renewable energy projects are considered the most viable option for import substitution, reducing basket price of energy and to offset the environmental impacts of fossil fuels.
Under the project activities, locational studies are being carried out with technical assistance of the World Bank to identify the least cost economically viable solar project sites in the province for the establishment of solar power parks. The initial estimates of the study revealed that 4275 MW renewable energy can be supplied from the Sindh to meet the 25% renewable energy target by 2025. The 400 MW Solar power Park under the SSEP project will bring 250 million US Dollars investment in the province.
The Project Director Mehfooz A Qazi signed the agreement on behalf of the Govt of Sindh and the consortium team was lead by A.K Bilgrami.
After the signing of the ceremony the kick-off meeting chaired by the Project Director through conference call attended by the World Bank Project team based in Washington DC and the Foreign and local consultants based in Germany and Islamabad.
The project feasibility studies including environmental and grid connection studies have been carried out by Sindh Energy Department and it is expected that the project will be completed by the mid of 2021. The project will bring an additional 250 million US Dollars investment from the private sector also. — PR