Peshawar - The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to solarize all public sector buildings, including hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, prisons, police stations, and other government offices, alongside the solarization of tube wells and street lights. The aim is to ensure the availability of uninterrupted electricity to public offices at a reduced cost.
A meeting of the committee tasked with the solarization of government buildings was held recently at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, to review the progress made toward the practical launch of the initiative. The meeting was attended by the Advisor to the Chief Minister for Finance, Muzammil Aslam, and other committee members. The forum was briefed in detail on the power requirements for government buildings and the proposed action plan for the solarization project’s implementation.
The forum was informed that data collection regarding public sector offices and their energy needs is ongoing. So far, data for about 13,000 units has been compiled, which would require a solar system with a capacity of approximately 73 MW for these public buildings. The solarization of these units is expected to produce 92 million units of solar electricity annually.
It was also shared that the solarization project for government buildings will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 billion. Upon completion, the project is expected to save around Rs2 billion annually in electricity bills for the provincial government.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need to finalize the project promptly and instructed the committee to complete all necessary requirements for its launch within a week. He also directed that the remaining tasks for the project’s implementation be completed as quickly as possible.
Additionally, the Chief Minister directed the early launch of a project for the solarization of Masajid and Madaris across the province.
Under this initiative, 7,000 masajid and 3,000 madaris will be converted to solar energy.