No speed breakers!

Shahbaz Sharif says future roadmap prepared to overcome energy crisis

Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park to be launched in a few days in Cholistan

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the future roadmap has been prepared for the energy sector‚ which will be implemented speedily.

He was presiding over a high-level meeting of Punjab Energy Committee on Saturday.

The CM also decided to set up a small energy secretariat for ensuring investment in energy projects, provision of facilities to the investors and rapid implementation on the projects.

He said the energy secretariat would work in the Civil Secretariat and the CM office at the same time for effective mutual liaison.

He said it was decided to immediately constitute a provincial energy commission in Punjab to formulate the rules and regulations and policy framework of the energy projects.

The CM said with the establishment of the secretariat and the commission, matters of the energy sector would be disposed off smoothly and one-window facility would be provided to the investors for all energy projects.

Addressing the meeting, Shahbaz said after consulting the experts and all stakeholders the Punjab government had prepared a future roadmap for the energy sector which would be implemented without any delay to overcome the energy crisis and restore industrial and trade activities soon.

The CM said the steps of the Punjab government in the right direction for solving the energy crisis would yield positive results.

He expressed the hope that the energy projects would soon be given a practical shape.

Shahbaz termed the Energy Investment Conference as a good sign for the future of the energy sector.

He said investors had been motivated through the conference to launch energy projects.

He said the Punjab government was going to lay the foundation stone of Quaid-e-AzamSolarPark on a 7,500-acre land in Cholistan within a few days to facilitate local and foreign investors, adding that the infrastructure design of the park would be prepared immediately.

He directed the energy committee to prepare a financial model with recommendations for all phases from the launching of the project to its completion.

A team of Chinese engineers was arriving in Pakistan soon to start work on the Nandipur Power Project, he said.

He said the country would be free of energy crisis by energy generation through alternate means adding that the Punjab government would try to complete the energy projects as soon as possible.

The CM also ordered the constitution of a technical sub-committee, solar, coal and hydel sub-committee, biomass, biogas and bagasse sub-committee and a finance sub-committee for the provincial energy commission.

He said there was no room for failure in the energy projects and practical steps had to be taken speedily.

The Punjab government was first trying to complete solar energy projects, he said.

Shahbaz vowed that the Punjab government would adopt a policy to complete all energy projects in Punjab transparently and speedily.

Reviewing the progress on hydel power projects, he said stern action would be taken against the companies which did not take any quick practical step in this regard.

He said practical energy projects should be submitted.

He further directed that the launching five to ten megawatts biomass projects be accelerated.

The CM was given a detailed briefing of the roadmap of the energy sector during the meeting.