Pakistan inaugurates its first solar power plant

Pakistan has commissioned its first solar power plant, Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park (QA) in Bahawalpur, Punjab province, having a power generation capacity of 100MW.

The new power plant will help the country in reducing the country’s dependency on non-renewable energy for the generation of electricity.

The plant has been built by Chinese company Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock at a total cost of $190m.

QA Solar Power plant will initially have 100MW capacity, which the company aims to increase up to 1000MW by next year.

Presently, the plant is spread across 500 acres of land. However, the Government of Punjab has allotted 6500 acres of land near Lal Sohanra for the project.

The plant is part of a link between China-Pakistan economic corridor, which will link Pakistan’s Arabian sea port of Gwadar with western China’s Xinjiang region, and will include energy and infrastructure projects worth up to $46bn, reported Reuters.

Pakistan said $37bn worth of Chinese investment will be done in energy ventures to generate 16,400 MW of power.

In a speech Sharif said: "Since I became prime minister my one goal has been to eliminate darkness in Pakistan, and bring lights back to the country.

"By 2017-2018, there will be an end to load shedding."