Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Muhammad Akhtar Malik has said that only renewable energy is a viable solution to meet the demand of cheap electricity.
He was talking to the media during the inaugural ceremony of a solar project at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) on Saturday. He also laid foundation stone for establishment of a solar plant of 2-MW at UAF in addition to inaugurating retrofitting at UAF Solar Park.
The minister said that retrofitting was completed at UAF with an estimated cost of Rs 71.99 million under which 7,466 energy efficient fans and 20,723 LED lights were installed and the project will save Rs 35 million annually.
He said that a 2-MW solar plant will provide cheap electricity to the university at half the rate as compared to the electricity price currently charged by FESCO.
The minister said that under visionary leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and under supervision of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, 43 public sector universities in Punjab are being solarized to save more than Rs 1 billion annually.
He said that all District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals of the province as well as Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals, basic health units (BHUs), primary, elementary, high and high secondary schools will also be shifted to solar energy gradually.
He said that a 100-MW solar park is being set up in Layyah district in collaboration with Chinese and Pakistani companies which will provide cheap and environment-friendly electricity at half rate as compared to the power price of Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park established by the previous government.
He said that the governments not only wasted billions of rupees by making illegal payments to the power companies in terms of capacity charges but also made anti-people agreements by the year 2030 to pay trillions of rupees from the pockets of poor nations.