KARACHI: The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) aims to commence the process of competitive bidding for launching new solar and wind power projects from April 2022, an official said.

The process of competitive bidding is aimed at increasing the share of clean electricity in the national energy mix to 61 per cent as per the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2021/30.

AEDB Chief Executive Officer Shah Jahan Mirza, while speaking as the chief guest at the 2nd International Solar Clean Energy Conference-2022 organised by the Energy Update, said that the AEDB had been well on track to achieve the targets of adding 3,000MWs of wind energy projects and 7,000MWs of solar power on-grid plants till 2030.

He said that the current share of renewable power generation in the national energy mix stood at five to six per cent as around 2,100MWs of clean electricity was being added to the national grid with wind energy projects having the majority share of 1,400MWs.

The IGCEP’s target of 61 per cent power generation on the basis of renewable electricity included hydropower as per the international energy sector practices as hydroelectricity all over the world is considered as clean energy, he added.

He conceded that the launching of the competitive bidding regime got delayed but the AEDB has completed all the homework and studies to launch the new auction system for the upcoming wind and solar energy projects.

Mirza informed that net-metering is another system being used by the AEDB to promote the usage of renewable energy projects by the individual consumers.

The AEDB has already introduced certifications and regulations for vendors involved in installing grid-connected solar systems under the net-metering regime, he added.

He said that the AEDB is willing to launch the system of third-party inspection for ensuring that quality solar equipment is only available to the prospective consumers willing to adopt the net-metering system, adding that they plan to conduct training and certification of 500 solar technicians in the major cities.

He emphasised that the AEBD has the resolve to do its work in collaboration with international partners including the USAID, World Bank, and the German government to promote the usage of clean electricity in Pakistan.

Sindh Energy Secretary Abu Bakar Madni said that the provincial government would approach the relevant federal authorities for minimising the taxes and duties on the renewable energy equipment to promote the installation of new wind and solar plants.

He said that the Sindh government in collaboration with the World Bank has been implementing the $100 million Sindh Solar Energy Project to build a solar park of 400MWs generation capacity and provision of 200,000 solar home systems to off-grid houses in ten districts.

USAID Energy Director Jeena Diallo said that 70 million people in Pakistan are not connected to the national grid, adding that renewable energy is the most effective method of energising their homes.

She emphasised that the system of the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) should be expanded for accommodating more renewable energy projects, saying that the hybrid clean energy systems involving both the options of wind and solar power is the way forward to tackle issues like climate change.

Prime Minister Housing Task Force Chairman Zaigam Mahmood Rizvi said that India has already met its target of generating over 100GWs of clean electricity through the solar energy systems whereas Pakistan’s solar energy production is less than one GW despite having ideal conditions.

Noted industrialist Zubair Motiwala said that the increase in the solar-based energy production would reduce the cost of electricity production by 40 per cent as there would be a massive reduction in the oil import bill of Pakistan.

The conference organising committee Chairman Naeem Qureshi said that the energy update would continue to organise such conferences every year for a thorough discussion on issues hampering the growth of the renewable energy sector in Pakistan.

Goodwe Country Manager, Syed Salman Mohiuddin; Sungrow Power Country Director, Howard Fu; Mesol Chief Executive Officer, Irfan Allah Wala, Diwan International Director, M Faaz Diwan; Adaptive Technologies Chief Executive Officer, Shaaf Mehboob; JS Bank’s Zulfikar Lehri, Kilowatt Labs Chief Executive Officer, Waseem Qureshi; HESCO Director, Irfan Ahmed; Nick Bradford From IFS partner Kestral Digital; Dr Hina Aslam and Dr Abid Qayyum Sulheri from SDPI; Hartmut Behrend; Talha Amjad; Ali Majid and others also address on the occasion.