DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Officials from the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) on Wednesday informed the Standing Committee on Energy and Electricity of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly that a total of 8,000 government schools and 4,9,00 mosques have been converted to solar power.
According to a statement, the meeting of the committee held here with Committee Chairman and MPA Dawood Shah in the chair, reviewed the progress of ongoing energy initiatives in the province, particularly the solarization of public facilities and small hydropower projects.
The committee members Mian Sharafat, Abdul Salam, Riaz Khan, Arbab Usman, Mehboob Sher, and Taj Muhammad Tarand, along with senior officials from the Energy Department, PEDO, Law Department, and the Provincial Assembly Secretariat.
Officials from the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) gave a comprehensive briefing on several initiatives, including completion of small hydropower projects in Dir district, Development of the province’s own transmission line, Conversion of mosques, schools, and government buildings to solar energy.
Asfandyar, Project Director for Solar at PEDO, informed the committee that 8,000 government schools across multiple districts have been successfully converted to solar energy. In addition, Basic Health Units (BHUs), other healthcare facilities, and government buildings have undergone similar conversions. A proposal to solarize the provincial assembly building and MPA hostel has been included in the upcoming Annual Development Program (ADP).
The committee informed that in the first phase, 4,000 mosques were solarized and the second phase, currently underway, aims to solarize an additional 5,000 mosques. It was said that in the merged districts, 900 mosques have already been converted to solar power.
To ensure equipment quality and compliance with standards, PEDO has signed agreements with the **University of Engineering and Technology (UET)** and **PCSIR** (Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research).
In terms of transmission infrastructure, officials from the Energy Department briefed the committee on a 40-kilometer transmission line project from Middleton to Bahrain, which will eventually be extended to Chakdara.
Chairman Dawood Shah termed the solarization projects as “critical for sustainable development” and directed officials to accelerate implementation.
He emphasized that the timely completion of these energy projects would significantly improve public service delivery and ease energy shortages in various regions.
