By Syed Marwan Shah

ISLAMABAD, August 12, (INP-WealthPK): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has expressed interest in converting the existing public and private modes of transport into a cost-efficient, environment-friendly, and solar-powered electric transportation system, reports WealthPK.

Requesting anonymity, an official from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KPBoIT) informed WealthPK that the government is keen to implement a cost-efficient, environment-friendly, and solar-powered electric transportation system.

He said if the project was successfully executed, it would be a game changer for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project will not only lower the carbon footprint, but also reduce the heavy imports of crude oil, the official maintained.

It is envisaged that the plan will be implemented in three phases. The first will focus on electrification of public transport, followed by the launch of an e-taxi service, and then moving to the electrification of private vehicles, he explained. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project was signed earlier this year during the Dubai Expo.

Earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KP-EZDMC) – a subsidiary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government – also announced that the company was going to solarize all the special economic zones under the ‘Green Khyber Pakhtunkhwa initiative’ of the provincial govt.

A first of its kind, the Green Khyber Pakhtunkhwa initiative will initially switch three economic zones over to solar energy and in the next phase, all economic zones will be converted to solar energy.

WealthPK research indicates that the company will install 10-megawatt solar energy plants in three economic zones as part of the initiative. These plants will be installed in the Bannu, Jalozai, and Karak economic zones. The electricity generated by the solar plants would be fed to the enterprises operating within these zones. As a result of the initiative, several benefits will be made available, and the top benefit is the enhancement of competition in the local industry.

The solarization of special economic zones (SEZs) will not only enhance the business climate of the province, but also provide an uninterrupted power supply to the economic zones.

Energy is the main factor in the industrial sector, which determines the cost of production. The solar energy has a lower cost of production compared to the conventional way. Thus, cutting the cost of production will make the domestic industries competitive against the other countries. Besides attracting domestic and foreign investors to the province, this initiative will also help provide an environment-friendly green energy to the industries.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-Wealthpk