LAHORE The governments 'seriousness to cope with the energy crisis can be gauged from the fact that the work on the basic infrastructure of the much-hyped Bhasha Dam has not yet been started. Also, no international funding for the project has been firmed up yet. Same is the case with the Thar Coal Power Project, as no visible groundwork for exploitation of these reserves has been done. This was stated by former Punjab Mineral Development Corporation Deputy Managing Director Bashir A Gill. Talking to TheNation, Mr Gill said there was vast potential of 60,000MW for hydel projects in the country but such projects were capital-intensive with a gestation period of 8 to 10 years. Bhasha, according to him, is a classic example of this. He firmly said that hydel is bound to play a dominant role in the future energy mix of Pakistan though the most feasible hydroelectric power project of Kalabagh Dam is mired in controversy. He observed that as every additional MW of electricity going into the national energy supply can be vital, small hydropower projects are much more feasible and quick and cheap to set up. Such small canal water based and run-of-river projects are free from multiple issues of large dams and are not politically divisive, he added. He said that dozens of potential sites are available for setting up such projects in Gilgit & Bultistan, AJ&K and the Punjab with a production capacity of some 20,000MW. Thermal and hydel are the pillars of our energy supply strategy. Therefore, in our energy mix, we have placed great reliance on oil and gas. Yet imported oil is expensive. So, oil generation cost is higher than other energy sources. Availability and sustainability also impact the dynamics of thermal power particularly the petroleum derived hydrocarbons. He said that while indigenous gas is growing increasingly scarce and transnational gas pipe lines continue to be in doldrums, it is must for the country to develop a more sustainable and affordable fuel mix exploiting more hydel, coal and renewable resources and reducing dependence on oil and natural gas. He said that the authorities are trying to pacify the public as if power from Thar Coal would start flowing into the national grid from tomorrow. However, the fact is that no visible groundwork for this project has been done except for some activity by Dr Samar Mubarak Mands team for Coal Gasification in one of the eight blocks of the Thar Coal, he added. He said: Critical infrastructure for exploitation of coal is non-existent. It is a pity that a resource of such a vital importance has been left frozen for almost two decades. It is hoped that recent tax incentives and exemption of Withholding Tax on mining machinery and plant will give impetus to the exploitation and use of coal, which is yet a distant dream. On the world scale, coal fired power plants are disfavoured for reasons of global warming but the dominant role of coal in power generation can be visualized from the fact that they are still providing nearly half of total electricity compared to other sources. India is producing around 65 percent of its electricity from coal. China relies heavily on coal which accounts for about 70 percent of its energy today. The United States has at present 600 coal-based power plants but no new plant has been added since 2008 because of environmental concerns. Australia is reliant on coal to generate 80 percent of its electricity. No developed country has yet abandoned the use of coal for power although prior to Fukushima, new plants were either in decline or not coming up. Mr Gill observed that Pakistan is situated on the sun belt and ideally suited for enormous solar power production. Wind corridors like Gharo-Keti Bander and Jhimpir area have the potential to generate thousands of MWs of electricity, he said and added that Pakistan has adequate indigenous fuel (uranium) for nuclear power plants. In spite of serious doubts relating to the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants, nuclear energy will continue to be a significant element of our energy mix being very efficient and environmentally friendly as it produces no greenhouse gases. He suggested that the RDF (Refuse Derived Fuels) based power plants can provide quick fix supplements to principal sources of power. The country generates some 56000 tons of solid waste per day in urban areas which can he used to produce some Nuclear power has its peculiar nuances and the environmental impact of carbon emissions associated with fossil fuels cannot be ignored. Therefore, development of cleaner mechanisms like renewables as alternative energy sources is essential to secure a bright sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future for our coming generations. He said the interest in renewables is expected to be sustainable as more than half of the power generation capacity constructed during 2008 in Europe and USA was renewable. Pakistan has the potential to become an important producer of renewable energy. For Pakistan, solar and wind energy appear to be the best options. However, apart from some isolated cases of solar panels put up to power water pumps in some remote areas mostly through government initiatives, no integrated or comprehensive programme exists for exploiting solar power on commercial scale. Similarly, although Keti Bander-Gharo Jhimpir wind corridors have been identified and marked for development of wind energy projects much more needs to be done. If impediments can be removed, 1200 MW can be produced from wind turbines in three years. It is believed that there is a potential of 50000 MW from wind power. Running cost of wind mills is almost negligible and initial expenditure of $1.00 million per MW is quite competitive with other sources, he observed. He pointed out that although large hydro projects provide long-term solution to energy problems, they are no solution to the ongoing power crisis. In the same way Thermal power plants based on petroleum derived fuels outstrip hydel by a ratio of 80:20. here is an urgent need to phase out the oil based power plants and substitute them with less expensive and less polluting alternative energy sources. He said that while the developed countries are shrinking away from nuclear power because of its profound problems Pakistan cannot relinquish nuclear option for power generation because aside of power generation, Pakistans nuclear programme has the strong imperative of military application as well. Thus, Pakistan plans to have 8800 MW of nuclear electricity by 2030. A redeeming feature of this plan is that fuel for the nuclear reactor will be indigenous and it will not need to be imported like oil, he observed. He informed the scribe that the prices of solar panels are falling so fast that by 2013 they will be half of what they cost in 2009. The price of PV panels per MW has fallen by 60 percent since mid 2008 and that of wind turbines by 18 percent. Thus, renewables are the future as clean technologies are growing fast. We must jump onto the bandwagon of renewables by investing in renewables energy now. Solar and wind energy are clean, safe and renewable.He said Undoubtedly, the government should take a leading role to develop a renewable energy strategy and develop a favourable investment friendly policy and regulatory framework to promote it. This will spur investment in renewable energy and lay a platform to allow the clean energy industries and jobs of the future to develop and grow. The healthiest and most direct way to expand renewables is to create new entrepreneur entities which are publicly or privately funded.