Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), while reaffirming its commitment for cleaner and greener environment, has formulated a comprehensive Climate Change Policy on the eve of Earth Hour which is a worldwide event organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), falling on 23rd March.
KESC had been playing a proactive role to observe Earth Hour in collaboration with Sindh Ministry of Environment and Alternative Energy and WWF for the past three years. Through mass campaigns and distribution of knowledge-based material, KESC’s Energy Conservation Department had been encouraging households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and appliances for one hour as symbolic observance of the event, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, so as to raise awareness about the need to take immediate action. KESC would once again carry out the exercise this year at all its offices, installations and plants during the one hour. A KESC team would also visit Mazar-e-Quaid on the day to mark the global event.
In order to meaningfully observe the Earth Hour and in line with its commitment to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy, KESC has drawn the Climate Change vision to adopt a balanced and responsible method while carrying out its core business operations that reduced carbon emissions and ensured social and environmental gains. KESC’s holistic approach aimed at expanding its current generation portfolio by 15 percent through renewable energy and various energy efficiency initiatives over the next five years to mitigate climate change and reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
Under the Climate Change Policy formulated as a part of the utility’s ongoing Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance initiative, KESC would propagate and facilitate energy efficient lifestyles through consultation and advisory services to carry out power factor improvement projects and providing free energy audit service. KESC would also upgrade its efforts for implementing its programmes aimed at encouraging the usage of energy efficient appliances and adaptation of efficient energy systems and building codes, awareness creation for adaptation of energy efficient lifestyle specially targeted towards the youth, cost sharing in the conversion of main municipal thoroughfare street lights and landmark monuments to LED and solar lights, and incentive programme for commercial markets to adopt Daylight Saving Programme.
