On Tuesday, Chairman Energy Foundation Pakistan (EFP) Javed Ahmad said that Pakistan can overcome the energy crisis by generating thousands of megawatts of electricity by using renewable energy resources, especially geothermal energy which is available in all the provinces of the country.
The masses and the business community continue to brave prolonged outages despite the import of petroleum products worth $15 billion annually by the government, which calls for enhanced focus on the other resources, he said.
The coal powered plants are the source of pollution; importing electricity from the other countries will require heavy investment while IPI and TAPI gas pipeline projects, initiated decades back, were far from the reality due to political uncertainty and security problems.
Similarly, nothing has been accomplished despite heavy investment in Thar. Coal was discovered in 1994 therefore the Government should use abundantly available green energy resources like solar, geothermal, water, wind, and bio waste, which have an estimated capacity of more than 200000 MW.
Javed Ahmad said that the green energy is a free, renewable and sustainable source of low cost electricity and heat with reliable supply that reduces dependence on imported fuels, saving billions of dollars every year.
The Chairman EFP said that more than 30 countries are producing electricity through geothermal energy and about 200 power plants are under construction around the world while 70 countries are using geothermal energy for air-conditioning, cooling, heating and supply of hot water.
He said that he can attract all the investment required to initiate the geothermal energy power projects for 10000 MW and start producing electricity at less than Rs. 10 per unit within three years in all the provinces.
Green energy can help to trigger economic growth and protect the environment for our future generations, he said, adding that the establishment of a National Energy Security Organization under direct control of the Prime Minister can help Pakistan in overcoming its energy crisis.