A Gigawatt of Wind Energy in Pakistan

A Gigawatt of Wind Energy in Pakistan

Pakistan is prepared to approve a Norwegian company’s plan to build a 150-megawatt wind farm, the first part of a $1 billion plan that could boost by a third the announced capacity for clean-energy power plants, according to Bloomberg News. Joar Viken, the CEO of NBT, a Norwegian company focused on building wind farms in China, Norway and Pakistan, said he plans to tap financing for his project from one of three Chinese turbine makers that his company is talking with about supplying machinery for the facilities in Pakistan.

Pakistan has about 1000 MW of wind power plants at various stages of planning and construction, and another 498.5 megawatts of wind programs announced, mostly in Jhimpir, Gharo, Keti Bandar and Port Qasim wind corridors along the Arabian Sea coast in Sindh. The output from these plants will provide much-needed additional power for Pakistan, improve the country’s energy security, and lower reliance on natural gas and furnace oil. It is estimated that the Gharo to Keti Bandar corridor alone could produce between 40,000 and 50,000 megawatts of electricity, says Ms. Miriam Katz of Environmental Peace Review who has studied and written about alternative energy potential in South Asia.

Other major wind energy projects in Pakistan include American AES Corporation's 150 MW farm, Turkey's Zorlu Enerji Electrik Uretim's 56 MW farm, and Pakistan's FFC Energy's 50 MW farm.



Pakistan is fortunate to have something many other countries do not, which are high wind speeds near major population centers, according to data published by Ms. Katz .

Near Islamabad, the wind speed is anywhere from 6.2 to 7.4 meters per second (between 13.8 and 16.5 miles per hour). Near Karachi, the range is between 6.2 and 6.9 (between 13.8 and 15.4 miles per hour).

In Balochistan and Sindh provinces, sufficient wind exists to power every coastal village in the country. There also exists a corridor between Gharo and Keti Bandar that alone could produce between 40,000 and 50,000 megawatts of electricity, says Ms. Katz who has studied and written about alternative energy potential in South Asia. Given this surplus potential, Pakistan has much to offer Asia with regards to wind energy. In recent years, the government has completed several projects to demonstrate that wind energy is viable in the country. In Mirpur Sakro, 85 micro turbines have been installed to power 356 homes. In Kund Malir, 40 turbines have been installed, which power 111 homes. The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has also acquired 18,000 acres for building wind farms.

In addition to high wind speeds near major centers as well as the Gharo and Keti Bandar corridor, Pakistan is also very fortunate to have many rivers and lakes. Wind turbines that are situated in or near water enjoy an uninterrupted flow of wind, which virtually guarantees that power will be available all the time. Within towns and cities, wind speeds can often change quickly due to the presence of buildings and other structures, which can damage wind turbines. In addition, many people do not wish for turbines to be sited near cities because of noise, though these problems are often exaggerated.

Pakistan has a goal to generate at least 5 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030, according to Pakistan Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB). Last year, 53 percent came from natural gas, 30 percent from oil and the rest from coal, nuclear and hydropower, according to data from BP Plc. The London-based oil company didn’t measure any sources of renewable energy there.



The country’s electricity shortfall reaches as much as 3,628 megawatts per day, according to demand-supply data available on the

The delegation made commitment to generate at least 200 MW from a wind farm in next two years. Hyundai Corp also showed intention of his company to put up wind turbines plant in Pakistan. Wind energy in Pakistan - KOSPO keen to set up 2000 MW wind power A Korean power company has indicated interest to set up wind power plants in the wind corridor of Sindh to generate 2000 megawatts in the next five years. This willingness was shown by the leader of delegation of Korea Southern Power Company Ltd (KOSPO), Park Seog-Ho while talking to the Advisor to Sindh CM on Investment Zubair Motiwala at his office. General Manager Hyundai Corporation, Jin Han Chung and Secretary SBI Mohammad Younus Dagha were also present on the occasion. The delegation made commitment to generate at least 200 MW from a wind farm in next two years. They said that KOSPO was producing 9,238 MW of power in Korea with an investment of $ 5 billion. KOSPO is also producing electricity in UAE, Jordan and Bulgaria. In Korea, they are generating power from coal, LNG, oil and wind power. The representative of Hyundai Corp also showed intention of his company to put up wind turbines plant in Pakistan to cater to the need of wind turbines in other wind energy projects. Hyundai is manufacturing wind turbine of 2 MW each. Motiwala thanked the delegation and assured his full cooperation in identifying a suitable land in wind corridor for the wind farm project in accordance with the present elected government's investment friendly policy. It was agreed that Sindh Board of Investment will formulate a schedule for signing of memorandum of understanding for this project during the visit of Sindh Chief Minister to South Korea from May 17 to 28. First wind farm to start producing power by year-end Around 50 to 70 Megawatts of environmentally clean, wind energy will be added to the national grid by the end of the current year with the start of production from the Fauji Fertilizer Company Energy Limited’s (FFCEL) wind farm, currently under construction at Jhimpir. Officials at the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) said that the first ever, wind power..