Pakistan’s presidency is recognised as the world’s first presidential secretariat running on clean energy

Record ID: 1644101

  • Title: Pakistan’s presidency is recognised as the world’s first presidential secretariat running on clean energy
  • Date: 30th October 2021
  • Summary: FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN (OCTOBER 29, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER ASSOCIATION OF ENERGY ENGINEERS (AEE) , SHAHID SHAUKAT, SAYING: "It's a good technology which is internationally called 'Net Metering'. So, in Pakistan the presidency has worked primarily on energy conservation and, in parallel to this, they also deploy one megawatt solar system. So altogether n
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2021 08:18
  • Keywords: Arif Alvi ISO 50001 Pakistan certification green president solar panels
  • Location: ISLAMABAD, FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN / UNKNOWN LOCATION
  • City: ISLAMABAD, FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN / UNKNOWN LOCATION
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Climate Change,Environment,General News,Government / Politics,Climate Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA003F1CMBLZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Pakistan's president said his office is the first of its kind to receive a well-known certification for energy conservation.
    "It's the first green presidency in the world," President Arif Alvi told Reuters on Wednesday (October 27). "We've gotten a certification, international ISO 5000(1) certification for the presidency that it is green."
    A virtual ceremony was held on Oct. 15 to announce its ISO 5001:2018 certification, which lays out a framework for energy efficiency. It was certified by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a nonprofit professional society with its headquarters in the United States.
    Shahid Shaukat, a Pakistan-based member of AEE, who overlooks the Pakistan presidency project, said the presidency had installed a 1-megawatt solar system, based on a new tech deployment.
    "So, in Pakistan the presidency has worked primarily on energy conservation and, in parallel to this, they also deploy one megawatt solar system. So altogether now it becomes the green energy because they have a zero carbon emission. So (it's) the first presidency ever in the world which has zero carbon emission," Shaukat said, who added there are 2,450 solar panels installed around the Presidential secretariat compound.
    Through this 1-megawatt system the presidency is able to generate 1.4 million units of electricity annually. Out of the 1.4 million units, the Presidency consumes 1.3 million units, and the remaining units are transferred to the national grid.
    These units which are thus "sold" to the national grid system go towards reducing the electricity bill of the presidency.
    Its like a cascade.
    Alvi said he has aimed to cut down on energy usage in the presidential secretariat since assuming the largely ceremonial post in 2018.
    He said by measures including installing a solar array at the secretariat's compound, switching to LED bulbs and water conservation initiatives, energy usage was down by over 35 percent, with an estimated savings of 80 million rupees ($1.07 million) a year on electricity alone.
    But outside the lush green compound, the story is not quite the same across Pakistan.
    A climate risk index released by German-watch suggests Pakistan is among the top 10 countries that are most vulnerable to climate, and a recent joint climate risk study by the Asian Development Bank and World Bank estimated that Pakistan could face up to $3.8 billion in annual economic loss due to climate change over the next two decades.
    One way of tackling that, Alvi said, is water conservation amid a growing population and poorer agricultural yields.
    "We need to do some form of pricing of water also to increase, improve, conservation. Because when electricity is priced we are forced to conserve also, but water in Pakistan is not priced yet," he said.
    Meanwhile, plans are in the work to plant more trees within the presidency compound, with 15,000 trees already planted in the last two years.
    (Production: Salah Uddin, Sheree Sardar)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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