Pakistan Crosses 1 GW Of Installed RE Capacity

The installed renewable energy capacity of Pakistan has crossed the 1 GW mark – it now stands at 1,135 MW. At least 57% of this capacity was achieved in just one year. Speaking to a local newspaper The Nation, Amjad Ali Awan CEO of the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), said that PV’s share is 400 MW.

Most of the renewable energy capacity comes from wind power at 590 MW, while the remaining 145 MW comes from bagasse, which is available from sugar mills in Northern Sindh and Southern Punjab. The total renewable capacity is set to increase to 1,185 MW when a 50 MW wind power project is supposed to come up in December 2016 as the first renewable energy project as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

With the help of the World Bank, ADEB is mapping renewable energy sources in the country. Pakistan has set up 10 solar data stations to assess the potential of solar power. ADEB plans to encourage wind power project operators in Sindh region to install solar panels at their sites as well.

The AEDB data shows that 28 PV projects of 956.8 MW capacity are in various states of development in Pakistan. By 2018, the annual cumulative capacity is expected to touch 1,556 MW. However, The Nation put this number at 1,756 MW. At a press briefing, Awan said the country may be producing 3,000 MW of clean energy by the beginning of 2019.