PM for shifting loss-making feeders to solar power

ISLAMABAD: In a bold push to reform the country’s struggling energy sector, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday ordered the transition of the country’s most loss-making electricity feeders to solar power, aiming to tackle the country’s energy crisis in partnership with local communities and provincial governments.

Chairing a high-level meeting on the solarisation initiative, the PM made it clear that these high-loss feeders would be switched to solar energy in partnership with local communities and provincial governments – a plan he believes will not only reduce losses but also offer a more reliable electricity supply in the long run.

He took a hands-on approach, instructing the rapid rollout of pilot projects in Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) feeders, notorious for their high losses. The pilot schemes are expected to serve as blueprints for a nationwide overhaul.

OPINION: Need for an amended solar policy

“This is a game-changer,” said Sharif, emphasising the role of local community involvement and cooperation with provincial authorities to ensure the success of the initiative.

He called for immediate consultations with local representatives, stressing that without community buy-in, the project could fail.

Officials briefed the meeting that the transition to solar would create low-cost, environmentally sustainable micro-grids – cutting-edge solutions that would generate reliable power while significantly curbing the financial haemorrhage in the country’s troubled electricity distribution system. The project, the PM insisted, would slash losses for years to come.

With the project granted in-principle approval, he ordered immediate work on the pilot schemes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. “This has to be done now,” he added.

The meeting was attended by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Power Awais Leghari, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, the chief secretaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan as well as senior government officials.

ALSO WATCH: