ISLAMABAD: Terming solarization as the “only option for survival”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the centre had devised a plan to immediately convert all the federal government entities’ buildings to solar power by April 2023 in a bid to slash a huge chunk out of the costly fuel import bill hovering around $27 billion.
Unveiling further details in solarisation conference, the prime minister said that the procedures for conversion of solar power should be fast-tracked as they had set April 2023 as the timeline for the implementation of this plan.
The prime minister said according to the plan, all the federal government ministries, departments, authorities, and their offshoots in the provinces would immediately shift to solar energy.
He said it would be a model for the provincial governments as the federal government would “not make additional expenditures” over the solarisation process.
The prime minister also urged all the relevant authorities and the stakeholders to complete the required process by the end of April next year and meet the timeline which had been set.
“Consider it our political, social, national, and religious duty to implement it as soon as possible,” he opined.
The prime minister said with these urgent measures, the government would be able to generate 300 MW to 500MW of cheap power, thus reducing the import bill worth billions of dollars each year.
The prime minister assured that the whole process would be conducted through transparent bidding via a third party.
He also urged the provincial chief ministers to emulate the federal government’s launched pattern and roll out solar systems in their respective provinces and assured the centre’s complete assistance.
“It is the only option for our survival as a nation,” he added.
The prime minister said that the process for the generation of 10,000MW solar power in the country had already commenced and such a conversation by the federal government buildings would be the first phase.
Enumerating the economic challenges faced by the country due to skyrocketing fuel and gas prices after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he said that developing countries like Pakistan had to bear the brunt.
He said the $27 billion costly fuel import bill was a big challenge for the countries like Pakistan, adding the ongoing conflict had also surged the price of gas and worsened its availability as the supply to Europe was disrupted.
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