Government of Japan is planning to provide Pakistan with grants and yen loan for undertaking small alternative energy projects to generate solar, wind and hydro power to bridge the supply and demand gap in the energy-starved country. This was stated by Tomoyasu Fukuchi, who is the consulting engineer of NIPPON KOEI and part of a delegation of Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) which is here to conduct a “Data Collection Survey on Renewable Energy Development in Pakistan”. Fukuchi’s statement came during a meeting with Chairman Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) Muhammad Zubair Motiwala. Among others also present was DG SBI Muhammad Riazuddin. He said two major companies, namely Mitsubishi and Hitachi, were manufacturing high efficiency wind turbine in Japan.
About the survey, Fukuchi said it was aimed at collecting data and information comprehensively regarding development of renewable energy in Pakistan. The survey, he said, would explore the possibility of corporation by Japan for disseminating renewable energy to contribute to the realization of diversity of power generation sources, which is the policy of Government of Pakistan. Chairman SBI Muhammad Zubair Motiwala said investment in the Sindh province could only be promoted with collective efforts of public and private sector, especially in the renewable energy sector. Motiwala sensitized the delegates regarding continuous and serious interventions by the SBI to promote investments in diversified sectors of alternate energy especially wind, small hydro power and solar.
He said after a great success in wind sector, where more than 32 companies had already acquired land for the power project, the SBI, in collaboration with alternate energy department, was now working closely with private sector to examine interventions under solar energy sector. He said Pakistan had the world’s best insulation with proven power generation of 4-5 KWh/m2 and more than 3000 hours of sunshine throughout the year.
Muhammad Riazuddin, DG SBI, urged the Japanese delegation to install a pilot project of wind turbine to let investors witness performance and efficiency of the turbines being manufactured in Japan.
Earlier, briefing the JICA officials about recent policy reforms for development of wind energy sector in Sindh, the director administration SBI said Sindh wind corridor possessed immense potential to produce about 50,000MW of energy. Presently, he said, the investors were focusing more in Gharo and Jhampir area because of availability of more than three-year wind data.
Government of Sindh, the director said, was now intent to extend the wind assessment study up to Islamkot to ascertain the actual potential of area. Making the best use of opportunity JICA was requested to help the provincial government in carrying out this study. The Japanese team was also informed that Sindh government had already allotted land to 32 national and international companies for establishing wind farms in Thatta with installed capacity of more than 2000MW.
Japan to fund alternative energy projects in Pakistan
