Water Agency In Pakistan Moves To Power Disposal Stations With Solar Energy

Lahore-headquartered Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has planned to convert five of its major disposal stations to solar energy.

This was revealed by Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz during an online performance review meeting of all Wasas in Punjab, Pakistan. The meeting also discussed capacity building issues of all Wasas.

Zahid Aziz told the meeting that Wasa Lahore wanted to convert five major disposal stations- Shadbagh, Sabzazar, Baghbanpura, Farrukhabad and Shadipura- to solar power under PPP mode.

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The (Pakistani) Punjab government is launching a new scheme under Annual Development Programme (ADP) worth Rs 100 million, which has already been approved for Wasa Lahore’s solar power conversion project, Aziz added. (1 US $= 177 Pakistani Rupees)

A 40 MW waste-to-energy plant has also been announced in Lahore. The bio-power project, being developed by Satarem Enterprises and currently owned by Lahore Xingzhong Renewable Energy, is in the permitting stage at present. It will be developed in a single phase and post construction, the project is expected to get commissioned in 2022.

The process of combustion will be adopted in this $220 million initiative to release stored energy from the feed. Refuse— a kind of municipal solid waste — will be used as feedstock to power the project, which will comprise two 20 MW turbines.

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Punjab state has pushed to make solar power more easily available. According to Muhammad Yasin, Director Technical (Power), Punjab Energy Department, the state allows net-metering for 3-phase meters so far, and the Punjab government plans to make an agreement with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to allow distribution companies to offer net-metering to consumers on single-phase meters as well.

Pakistan has been wracked by some of the highest power costs in South Asia, due to a combination of legacy issues with its discom networks, and dependence on high cost coal and gas. Power prices in key cities like Karachi and Lahore have ranged between Rs 11 to Rs 25 in the past few months.

Overall renewable capacity has been very low, especially if one considers only solar and wind power in the country. Now it has a target of 10 GW by 2030.