The Punjab Energy Department, in collaboration with the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade on Wednesday hosted a seminar on the energy potential of Punjab at the Pakistan Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. The seminar was attended by the Punjab Minister of Energy, UAE Minister of Energy, His Excellency Saud Ballawy, the managing director of the Punjab Power Development Board, and the CEOs of the Punjab Power Development Company Ltd, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, and the Punjab Energy Efficiency Conservation Agency.
According to the press statement the seminar presented a ground-breaking achievement for the Punjab Energy Department as an MOU was signed between the Government of Punjab and Huawei.
The minister talked on the limitless energy potential of Punjab, highlighting some of the impressive work being done in the province with regards to solar energy, biogas, hydropower, and wind energy. The minister stated that 600 primary schools had been solarized, along with a number of hospitals and jails, and concluded by saying that “This is only the first step in what promises to be a very bright future for the energy sector of Punjab. We are extremely optimistic that the work we are showcasing here will attract lots of interest from foreign and local investors and also create job opportunities for our people back home. We also want to work in collaboration with the UAE government on energy-related projects both here and back in Pakistan. We hope that the Expo 2020 Dubai will help us achieve exactly that.”
Dr Sani gave a detailed overview of the numerous projects being undertaken by the Punjab government, in collaboration with the federal government. Many of these promising initiatives are already underway. Some of these include the QA Thermal Project, the Energy Center of Excellence, and Solar Training and MSc Engineering courses.
The event concluded with the signing of the MOU between the Punjab government and Huawei that will open doors for foreign investments in Punjab.