KARACHI – Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah emphasized the pressing need to address the burden of rising electricity bills on low-income families, stating it is the government’s duty to alleviate this financial stress. With the federal government responsible for setting tariffs, the provincial government aims to support impoverished households by offering solar panels or providing a minimum of 100 units of free electricity, following the directive of Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
During a meeting at the CM House, attended by Energy Minister Syed Nasir Shah, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Bux Khan Mahar, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Secretary of Energy Musadiq Khan, PSCM Agha Wasif, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, and other officials, various proposals for solarizing off-grid and on-grid low-income families were discussed.
Energy Minister Nasir Shah provided insights into the Benazir Solar Programme, revealing a survey of low-income families consuming 100 units per month. The survey identified 1,976,500 such families, comprising 1,054,000 K-Electric users, 566,427 Hyderabad Electric Supply Company users, and 356,073 Sukkur Electric Power Company users.
The CM highlighted that there are 2.6 million off-grid households in Sindh. He proposed providing 500,000 of these households with Solar Home Systems (SHS), consisting of 100-watt solar panels capable of powering three LED bulbs, a 35-watt DC fan, a six-hour battery backup, and mobile charging ports. Minister Nasir Shah noted that each SHS would cost Rs55,000 if purchased in bulk.
Another proposal presented by Nasir Shah involved the establishment of micro-grids. He suggested setting up six micro-grids, each with a capacity of 75 kilowatts, at the divisional level to support clusters of 100 households. These micro-grids would provide 100 kWh units per month and would cost approximately Rs30 million each. The CM directed the minister to conduct a feasibility study for these grid stations. The requirements for these stations include around 300 acres in Sukkur, 230 acres in Hyderabad, and 270 acres in K-Electric’s jurisdiction.
The third proposal discussed was the creation of three solar parks, each with a cumulative capacity of 350 megawatts. These solar parks could potentially be developed in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, offering a sustainable solution for energy generation and distribution in the region.
CM Murad Ali Shah’s initiative aims to harness solar energy to reduce the electricity cost burden on low-income families, promoting sustainable and affordable energy solutions in Sindh.
