Sindh Board of Investment’s (SBI) Chairman Muhammad Zubair Motiwala said that Sindh possessed enormous potential in wind energy resources which could generate more than 50,000 MW’s of energy, if properly utilised.
While presiding a meeting in the Sindh government’s office of the Investment, Motiwala said that the wind corridor that stretched from Gharo to Jhampir was 60 KM wide and 180 KM long with average wind speed of 7 to 8 meters per second.
Motiwala said that the provincial government had taken strong and necessary measures to unfold this particular opportunity and had, so far, approved 26 wind projects which would be commissioned within next year and would generate more than 1000 MW’s of energy.
Furthermore, Motiwala revealed that Sindh’s Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had in principle approved the allotment of land for the fast track wind power projects after a short order by the Supreme Court allowing the allocation of land for fast track wind power projects through investment under the Renewable Energy Policy Act of 2006.
Motiwala also said that the efficient solution to the country’s longstanding energy crisis could only be achieved by encouraging investment in renewable energy projects. He further elaborated that these projects aimed to install more than 1000 MW’s of electricity in the wind corridor of district’s Thatta and Jamshoro.
Furthermore, he said that the Sindh Board of Investment was simultaneously coordinating with the land utilization department which had resulted in the latter issuing directives to Thatta’s deputy commissioner. These directives ordered the deputy commissioner to personally ensure that the personnel of Western Energy for establishment of a 45 MW wind power project and the Hydro China XIBEI Engineering Corporation for development of a 100 MWs wind power project, were fully facilitated in carrying out their surveys and other allied field studies for the expeditious execution of the project while the land lease issue was resolved. He also advised Western Energy to contact the SBI whenever and wherever they required assistance of any kind.
