South Korean Firm Installs Solar Power Plant in Pakistan

      Pakistan's largest province, Baluchistan, by area, is rich in mineral resources, but while it is highly strategically located near Iran and the rest of Pakistan, it remains quite underdeveloped. Over the past few years, foreign companies have forged partnerships with the provincial government for extraction of valuable minerals from the area. Presently now a South Korean company plans to develop a solar power plant, which will help bring prosperity and growth to the region.
       CK Solar Korea has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Baluchistan government to set up a 300 megawatt solar power project near the province's largest city, Quetta. The project is expected to require a total investment of $900 million and is to be completed by 2016. This project is to aid and bring relief to the province, which like the rest of the country, is suffering from extreme power shortages.
       Provincial Secretary of Energy, Fuad Hashim Rabbani, claims that "this project will help overcome the shortfall of electricity in Baluchistan. The project will provide green energy particularly in areas where there is no conventional electricity option." He also adds, "Currently, the local population of targeted areas are using kerosene lanterns, which is hazardous to the health and non-economical due to the intermittent price hike." He also notes that electricity to medical facilities such as hospitals, Basic Health Units and installation of solar street lights were amongst the major benefits of the project.
       In addition, the project will help the province increase in self-reliance in terms of the energy industry. While the province is the gateway to Pakistan's much needed energy supplies from the neighboring country Iran, it lags behind most parts of the country in economic development. Despite being very rich in natural resources and being the largest province in the country, Baluchistan's contribution to Pakistan's gross domestic product has been less than 5% between years 1973 and 2000.