Daily Times

ISLAMABAD President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday expressed satisfaction over the measures taken at the Aiwan-e-Sadr to economize and conserve electricity, water, fuel and gas.

The president said the Green Presidency Initiative was an excellent precedent for the rest of the country, and motivated others to mitigate the energy woes and combat the dangerous effects of Climate Change.

The president made these remarks while chairing a meeting on Energy Conservation and Economization Strategy at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

During the meeting, it was highlighted that both energy conservation and green energy production measures under the Green Presidency Initiative of the President had so far saved approximately PKR. 108 million, and won international recognition as the 1st ISO-50001 Certified Presidential Office of the World.

The president noted with satisfaction that Presidency’s various energy efficiency projects had resulted in zero liability on the national exchequer, and it was now fully powered by an in-house 1 MW solar power plant, which besides meeting its own needs had contributed 112,000 KWh of surplus energy to the national grid.

The president also expressed satisfaction with measures being taken to convert a few remaining parts of the Secretariat to solar energy which would further enhance electricity savings and its contribution to the national grid.

Dr Alvi advised that the staff should be educated and sensitized to conserve and economize utilities by simple measures such as the utilization of natural light, turning off unused electronics, setting ACs at 26 C, and conserving water usage in daily routines.

During the meeting, the president urged all Governor Houses, universities, and offices of the ombudsmen to take practical and time-bound measures to shift to solar energy for financial savings and to mitigate the energy woes of the country by contributing surplus energy to the national grid.

He also urged all Chambers of Commerce and Industry around the country to transfer businesses and industries under their purview to solar energy in order to reduce the cost of their inputs which will make local products and services competitive in both national and international markets.