BAHAWALPUR (SW): In a bid to overcome the crippling power shortage in Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the country’s first-ever solar generation project on Tuesday.
the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur, Punjab province has been designed to generate a total of 1,000MW of electricity. The QASP’s first unit reportedly went into test run last month and had achieved successful results. The generated electricity was being supplied to the National Grid System.
State-owned news agency APP reported that the Prime Minister promised his countrymen that several mega projects in the power sector have been launched that will help overcome the power shortage in Pakistan by 2017-2018.
Terming the 46 billion dollars of Chinese investment in Pakistan as unprecedented, PM Nawaz said that all projects with the Chinese cooperation will be completed on time. He said Pakistan and China will establish a special committee in order to ensure these projects are completed on record time.
He added that his government also wants to improve relations with Afghanistan, and eliminate terrorism from the entire region.
In the first phase, at least 0.5 million solar panels have been installed in three blocks over 500 acres of the solar park land.
Earlier, the infrastructure for the park, including a boundary wall, buildings and roads were constructed while water was taken to the site from a nearby canal. The construction work of the first phase of 100MW had been taken in hand last year.
The second and third units of the solar park comprise 300MW and 600MW, respectively.
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