Hydrochina will install 12 2.5MW wind turbines in the Tapal project in the north-east of Sindh province, 150 kilometers from Karachi. Hydrochina is a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China.  Hydrochine did not say what make of wind turbines will be used on the project. Each wind turbine will be supported by one box-type substation.

The Tapal project is the third wind farm to be constructed in Pakistan by Hydrochina. In May 2012, Hydrochina signed an agreement with First Dawood to jointly develop a 50MW wind farm in Karachi. This was established in January 2013.

Hydrochina to Install Pakistan’s Third Wind Farm

Later, in September 2012, Hydrochina signed a contract with Pakistan’s Sapphire Wind Power Company to construct a 49.5MW wind project in Sindh province, 135 kilometers from Karachi.

Why this sudden increase in wind power development in Pakistan? Look no further than Pakistan’s generous feed-in tariff that was introduced early this year. The country’s long-term objective is to develop a total of 2GW of wind farms.

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said that 45 wind power projects were at various stages of development, according to reports from the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). He added that 106-MW of capacity would soon be available for commercial use, with another 150-MW of capacity under construction.

The government is making as much political capital from wind power projects and has even issued a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate the opening of its first wind farm.

Pakistan regularly experiences electricity shortages, but the country has been slow to embrace renewable power wholeheartedly.  It has a great potential to produce electricity from wind turbines because of the Gharo Keti Bandar Wind Corridor. This area has the potential to provide up to 50-GW of wind power.

At present oil accounts for nearly half of the total commercial energy supply. The share of natural gas is just over a third, while that of hydropower remains roughly at 15%. The increase in cost of fossil fuel and the various environmental problems of large-scale power generation have to lead to increased appreciation of the potential of electricity generation from renewable sources.

Pakistan is a country to watch over the next few years as its people and its politicians begin to appreciate that wind power holds a potential for cleaner energy for a country that has an increasing demand for it.

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