Pakistan island sees light, puts wind-power to work: AFP

By Hasan Mansoor (AFP) – 2 days ago

KHAROCHHAN, Pakistan — A tiny island of fishermen is light years ahead of the rest of Pakistan, powering homes and businesses with wind turbines -- protecting the environment and improving the quality of life.

The government may lack the cash to harness hydro, wind and solar resources on a large scale in the electricity-starved country but charities are lighting the way forward by putting wind power to work in remote villages.

"We've been given two bulbs a house, it's a blessing for all of us," said 42-year-old fisherman Mohammad Arif on the subtropical island of Kharochhan, a land of creeks and mangroves in the cyclone belt of the Arabian Sea.

Lying 150 kilometres (94 miles) due south of Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, Kharochhan is an island of thatched homes where fishermen scrape by on 75 dollars a month and never dreamed of having electricity.

Then a local charity pitched up and installed five wind turbines. Now a fifth of homes -- 100 out of around 500 -- have been hooked up to the system.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan island sees light, puts wind-power to work: AFP

Country’s first wind farm to be opened by month-end: The News

ISLAMABAD: Renewable energy technologies would be an essential element in Pakistan’s energy future making major contributions to the diversity and security of energy supply and to economic development, said Water and Power Federal Minister and Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) Chairman Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday.

He was speaking to the media after a briefing at the AEDB headquarters in connection with the inauguration of the country’s first wind farm planned for later this month. The federal minister reiterated the government’s commitment to ending load-shedding by December 31.

Ashraf said the inauguration of the first wind farm would be a landmark in the renewable energy sector as the government pursues the objective of a clean and competitive energy future for the country.

The wind farm established by the Turkish Firm Zorlu Enerji has a six-megawatt installed capacity in the first phase. Five turbines have been installed, each with a capacity to generate some 149,137 kwh of electricity.

The power generated in the first phase would be supplied to the Jhimpir grid station by the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company for electrifying 7,400 homes. The project will produce sufficient electricity to do away with the production of approximately 10,500 tons of carbon dioxide each year, compared to a conventional fossil fuel power project. The farm would be later expanded in the second phase to generate 50MW of electricity.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Country’s first wind farm to be opened by month-end: The News

Zorlu sets up wind farm in Pakistan: Hurriyet

ISTANBUL - Turkey’s Zorlu Enerji is planning a 50-megawatt wind farm in Pakistan at an estimated cost of $120 million, according to a report published on the Power Engineering International Web site. The capacity of the farm may be extended to 250 megawatts at a later stage.

Zorlu Enerji’s Murat Sungar and Karm Buksh Qureshi, chief executive of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company, or Hesco, have signed an energy purchase agreement for six megawatts of electricity generated at the company facility in Jhimpir, the Web site said.

Pakistan’s plans
Raja Pervez Ashraf, Pakistan’s minister for water and power affairs, also attended the ceremony. Speaking to journalists after the signing ceremony, Ashraf said more than 4,000 megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid system by the end of the year with the support of the private sector.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Zorlu sets up wind farm in Pakistan: Hurriyet

Pakistan, Turkey sign wind energy pact: Thaindian

Islamabad, Jan 17 (Xinhua) Pakistan Saturday signed a wind energy pact with a Turkish firm.Pakistan’s water and power minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and chief executive of the Turkish company signed the agreement in Islamabad, the News Network International news agency reported.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan, Turkey sign wind energy pact: Thaindian

Germany keen to set up wind turbine industry: The News

ISLAMABAD: Germany has shown interest in joining hands with Pakistan in setting up wind turbine industries and negotiations are under way. Islamabad has also asked Berlin to invest in Pakistan’s fertiliser sector in order to meet the requirement of the commodity.Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo during a meeting with the members of a German trade delegation, headed by Dr Olaf Berlien, Chairman Thyssen Krupp Technology said here on Monday, “Developing wind turbine technology is the need of our farmers and our rural areas in which the German government was rich and showed interest.”

The government would encourage foreign and local investment in setting up fertiliser plants in the country besides other fields as there was immense potential available for investment due to the government’s policy, he said.Wattoo said agro-based industries were also very beneficial for investment. The government would encourage public-private partnership and joint ventures in setting up agro-based industries.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Germany keen to set up wind turbine industry: The News

Pakistan and Iran ink MoU for 50MW wind farm: Daily Times

KARACHI: One of the highlights of the visit of the Iranian Minister of Energy Engr Parviz Fattah was the witnessing of the signing of a MoU between Planet Energy Pvt Ltd and Sunir Co of Iran for the joint development of a 50MW wind farm in Pakistan. The MoU was signed by Chairman Planet Energy Pvt Ltd, Tariq Sayeed and the Managing Director Sunir Co Reza Ebadzadeh. As per the MoU, both companies would jointly invest in developing this wind farm. This is the significant development in the renewable energy sector, especially wind, where a foreign company has shown willingness to invest in Pakistan in present circumstances.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan and Iran ink MoU for 50MW wind farm: Daily Times

AEDB to produce 5,000MW energy: Dawn

ISLAMABAD, Nov 10: Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has planned to produce 5,000MW energy within five to seven years utilising renewable energy resources available in the country.

This generation would certainly help meeting the current energy shortfall, Chief Executive Officer AEDB Arif Allaudin said talking to journalists here on Monday after conclusion of inaugural session of two-day stakeholders’ consultative workshop on ‘development of medium-term renewable energy policy for Pakistan’, jointly organised by AEDB and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The CEO said the board is planning to make medium-term and long-term policy in consultation with concerned stakeholders. He said the board has been assigned by the government with the target of producing 5 per cent energy from renewable resources out of total power generation capacity.

He said the country’s first 50MW wind power project is scheduled to be commissioned in next month. He added five turbines of 1.2MW capacity each would be installed in the first phase of the project.

He said tariff issue will be resolved in consultation with stakeholders and people will get cheaper electricity. He said in an effort to harness the renewable energy resources, AEDB is encouraging private sector to develop renewable energy power projects.Earlier addressing the participants of the workshop, CEO AEDB said that country is facing an energy crisis, adding the board would fully utilise the alternative energy resources available in the country.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: AEDB to produce 5,000MW energy: Dawn

Pakistan to produce 1,000 MW wind energy: The News

Monday, October 20, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan would be able to produce another 1,000 MW power through wind energy within the next few years, Director Technical Alternative Energy Development Board Irfan Afzal Mirza said on Sunday.

Talking to the Voice of Germany (VOG), he said approval to 23 projects had been accorded. Each project would be able to produce 50 MW power. So the country would produce 1000 MW energy through wind within the next three to four years.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan to produce 1,000 MW wind energy: The News

Pakistan’s first wind mill near completion: The News

By By Saad Hasan 10/15/2008
KARACHI: A Turkish company is close to completing the first windmill in Pakistan, which is suffering from severe energy shortage and a ballooning current account deficit as it continues to spend billions of dollars on import of fuel oil to run thermal power plants.

Zorlu Enerji Pakistan has almost completed foundation work for five wind turbines in Jhimpir, 70km from Karachi, each capable of producing 1.2 megawatts of electricity. Though initially 6MW of electricity will be produced, the project will be expanded to 50MW in the next few years.

“We are looking forward to erecting the structures by the end of November,” said Osman Ipek, CEO Zorlu while talking to newsmen on Monday. “The potential is immense, wind density and speed is sufficient.”

It has been quite some time since a natural wind corridor from Gharo to Keti Bandar in Sindh province was discovered. This windmill will mark the first of many such projects in the pipeline. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), a government body tasked with promoting indigenous sources of renewable energy, has successfully formulated a policy which ensures better return for investors.

Project Manager Yagmar Ozdemir said sale price of wind energy in Pakistan is better than other countries. “Internal rate of return of 15 per cent (annually) is very good. Other countries do not offer more than 12 per cent.”

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan’s first wind mill near completion: The News