A significant development has been made in the waste-to-energy project in Punjab, under which a Japanese group and a consortium of British and Chinese companies have expressed interest in investing in this field. In this regard, on the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Minister for Local Government Zeeshan Rafique met with foreign delegations separately, in which Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) CEO Babar Sahib Din and officials from the Energy Department also participated. During the meeting with the Minister for Local Government, Japanese company Pak Suzuki CEO Hiroshi Kawamura briefed on the project to produce biofuel and organic fertilizer from waste.
Welcoming the Japanese company’s offer to produce biogas from waste, Zeeshan Rafique said that livestock waste accumulates in large quantities under Suthra Punjab. "The Japanese company’s plan to set up 9,000 biofuel plants in Pakistan by 2040 is commendable. Using biofuel instead of conventional fuel can reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent, which will have a very positive impact on the environment”, he observed. He said that the Japanese company’s goal is to set up 1,500 plants by 2030 using modern technology. He added that Pak Suzuki is also ready to pay the price of cow dung to cattle breeders. The Minister for Local Government expressed the hope that the use of biofuel will improve the standard of living of the rural population and it is also possible to reduce the country’s energy import bill by $1,625 million by 2040. Zeeshan Rafique said
that through Suthra Punjab, fifty thousand tons of waste is collected in the province every day, including livestock waste. “Japanese expertise should be taken advantage of to utilize this waste. The Japanese company’s plan is a continuation of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s recent visit to Japan”, he remarked. The provincial minister, while seeking the timeline from Pak Suzuki’s project, directed the CEO of LWMC to prepare detailed recommendations in this regard.
On this occasion, Mr. Hiroshi Kawamura said that along with installing biofuel plants, the Japanese company Suzuki will also install biofuel converters in vehicles. He said that Suthra Punjab is a great program and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Green Punjab vision is commendable. Meanwhile, a delegation of the British-Chinese consortium led by Mr. Williams Ideho met the Minister of Local Government and informing that their consortium (CSET) will set up a state-of-the-art plant to generate electricity from waste. The consortium also includes Indonesia, Thailand and Central Asian countries. The Minister for Local Government said that the Cixi plant can generate 55 MW of electricity from 3,000 tons of waste. “CSET will be provided with all possible facilities for investment in Punjab”, vowed the minister. He said that along with a cheap source of energy, the reduction in garbage will also improve the environment. The head of the delegation, Williams Ideho, thanked the provincial minister saying that there is a lot of potential in Punjab to generate energy from waste. “Clean Punjab is an impressive program of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz which can also lead to low cost electricity generation”, he commended. He said that CSET will use modern techniques to reduce carbon emissions which can also help Pakistan in obtaining carbon credits.
