Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Pakistan may float shares of energy projects on bourses

Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Pakistan (IEEEP) President Engineer Mohsin
M Syed has suggested that shares of energy projects be floated in the stock exchanges to collect
billions of rupees for energy projects. He was addressing the 35th Annual Convention/ AGM of
IEEEP here on Thursday. Chief Executive ICI Pakistan and founding member of IEEEP engineer
Shafiq A Siddiqi was the chief guest of the event.
Mohsin Syed said Pakistan was currently facing a minimum shortage of 10,000 megawatts. He
suggested that "we should plan to generate cost effective 50,000MW of electricity by 2030 in
order to provide electricity to 45 percent Pakistanis who are not connected to the grid."
Solar energy, he said, was an option in which every Pakistani could participate by installing 1-5
kilowatts in their homes. "This can remove 3,000 megawatts of load from distribution network
which will be given to the industry adding that this will create jobs. Similarly agriculture tube
wells from 15-20 kilowatts can be converted to solar energy and 200,000 tube wells can spare
another 3,000MW from the distribution system benefiting the former by reducing the input cost
of water."
He also suggested that projects like 6,000MW to 10,000MW could be set up at Keti Bander
where initially imported coal could be used and gradually replaced by Thar coal. He suggested
that there was a need to study the use of three-phase electricity meters for homes. "All the utility
system in North America and Japan uses single phase transformers, which are cost effective for
users and are better suited for load balancing on all phase by the utility company."
Syed hoped that the government would create the critical mass of technologists in the technical
ministries, who would ensure logical and strategic planning at the right forums. IEEEP Honorary
Secretary General Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan presented the annual report in which he highlighted
the activities of the IEEEP such as holding of symposiums, seminars, workshops, lectures and
publications of research journals "New Horizons".
He also said "the ongoing energy crisis is calling us to go for solar energy for bridging the
demand supply gap. Therefore, institution needs to disseminate latest technical knowledge about
renewable technologies like solar, wind and the biomass etc."