KARACHI - Karachi division Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi alongwith Irfan Salam Mirwani, Deputy Commissioner of district Malir, and Khizar Pervaiz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sindh Enterprise Development Fund (SEDF), visited the project site of Bio-waste Energy Ventures Pvt Limited (BEVPL) at Nagori Cooperative Dairy Farming Society (Gadap), district Malir here on Wednesday.
The visit marked the commencement of construction of the second digester of the bio-gas plant. The Government of Sindh (GoS) has established the SEDF to foster investment in SMEs and MSMEs, aiming to stimulate economic growth, generate employment, and alleviate poverty.
SEDF provides technical and financial support, including mark-up subsidies, to encourage value addition across various sectors such as agricultural value chains, horticulture and floriculture, clean/green energy, cold storage, mining and mineral processing, and innovation and technology. The fund aims to enhance efficiency and profitability while promoting the adoption of globally recognised best business practices.
The BEVPL project, approved and supported by SEDF, includes a commercial-scale bio-gas plant with a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres, expected to generate approximately 11,000 cubic metres of bio-methane per day.
This bio-methane will be compressed at a pressure of 200 bar and supplied to industries in Karachi. The total project cost is approximately Rs800 million, including a debt component of Rs380 million financed by Bank Alfalah Limited, with partial debt guarantees provided by USAID and debt subsidised (up to KIBOR) by SEDF.
The proposed bio-gas plant will primarily utilise animal (cow and buffalo) dung, with co-digestion of various organic feed-stocks depending on availability. Additionally, gas can be produced by fermenting any type of biodegradable waste, including agricultural, animal, municipal, and industrial biodegradable waste.
The commissioner praised the efforts of SEDF, stating that the project is a milestone for the clean/green energy sector in Sindh and will inspire others to follow, unlocking the potential of green energy in the province.
DC Malir acknowledged the efforts of the project sponsors, particularly Waqas Mohsin, Director of BEVPL, and the CEO of SEDF, for the smooth implementation of the project within a short span of time.
On this occasion, the CEO of SEDF remarked that the project represents a significant step towards reducing the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions from industries in Sindh, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province and Pakistan.
