Arooj Zulfiqar

Pakistan needs to rapidly shift to renewable sources of electricity generation from the emission-intensive fossil fuels for sustainable economic growth and meeting the growing industry and household needs. A well-developed renewable energy sector can help the government overcome power shortages and reduce the cost of electricity for its citizens, says Dr Abdul Rauf, a telecom engineer and a faculty member of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad.

Talking to WealthPK, he said though Pakistan had managed to increase power generation since 2013 and reduce power blackouts, still the power sector had been unable to develop and modernise due to high fuel costs, a reliance on imported energy products, persistent natural gas shortages, significant debt, and ageing and inadequate transmission and distribution systems.

“Pakistan should discover and utilise renewable energy sources on a war footing. However, there are various obstacles to overcome before fully utilising these naturally occurring renewable resources, including high costs, a lack of technology, socio-political behaviours, and some legislative issues,” he explained.

“Pakistan is currently experiencing a genuine energy crisis, so switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is crucial more than ever.” He said Pakistan needed to be self-sufficient in power generation to meet its industry and household needs. “The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has helped to a great extent to address the country’s energy shortages as prior to the start of the multibillion-dollar project, Pakistan was experiencing chronic energy shortages.”

Abdul Rauf maintained that during the first phase of CPEC from 2015 to 2020, a number of energy projects, particularly coal-fired, were initiated as a coal-based power plant takes only two to three years to complete as against one to 15 years for large hydropower projects.

“Pakistan needs political will, ambitious leadership, and sustainable policy incentives that are centered on research and collaboration in order to acquire cutting-edge technology. An improvement in people’s and policymakers’ awareness of the advantages of renewable energy is also a must. As a country, we must proactively explore distributed and integrated renewable energy solutions,” he emphasised.

The NUST professor said Pakistan should rely on local resources to ensure sustainable economic growth. “Dependence on imported fuel leads to an increase in debt and balance of payments crisis.” Meanwhile, Engineer Khurram Dastagir Khan, the federal minister for power, while inaugurating the transmission line project of Suki Kinari hydropower project near the Kaghan area of Mansehra district, said: “The government is taking all necessary steps to ensure that the national grid is converted from being reliant on fossil fuels to renewables.”

He stated that the government fully understood the environmental costs of burning fossil fuels in order to meet its energy needs, and added that this was the primary reason behind the government’s push for the development of alternative energy sources. He said the government was currently looking into all forms of renewable energy sources, be they hydro, wind, solar or biofuels.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk