Balochistan launches large scale solar project under CPEC

BEIJING  –  The Balochistan government, with the support of Chinese govern­ment, has completed the solariza­tion of 12 educational institutions, computer laboratories and hospi­tals that have been equipped with modern solar power facilities. Pakistan’s total solar installed ca­pacity was 1.24 GW by 2022, rep­resenting a 17 percent increase over 2021. The government has proposed many initiatives to in­crease the share of solar energy in the country. By now, Pakistan’s Solar Energy Market is estimated to increase at a compound an­nual growth rate (CAGR) of 49.68 percent from 1.30 gigatonnes in 2023 to 9.77 gigatonnes in 2028. In the specific case of Balochistan province, according to the Cen­tral Asia Regional Economic Co­operation Program, “Pakistan’s total technical solar and wind potentials are 2,900 GW and 340 GW, respectively.”

“Additionally, Balochistan has the potential to implement greater than 14 GW of Renewable energy within 5-10 years through least-cost pathways, including PV util­ity scale plants of 9,500 – 11,500 MWp. Balochistan’s geography, irradiance, and location make it one of Pakistan’s most high-po­tential provinces, with respect to renewables,” China Economic Net (CEN) reported. “Decentralized microgrids paired with solar gen­eration could be used to increase reliable electricity access for rural residents. While microgrids gen­erally only provide basic electri­fication (high quality lighting and charging of a mobile phone), it is able to do so for multiple house­holds at a significantly lower cost over in the long run,” CEN added.