Govt to generate 5,000MW of electricity through solar power in 5 years: Energy minister

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku has said that a target has been set to generate 5,000 megawatts of electricity over the next five years through the installation of solar panels.

"As an initial step towards achieving this goal, instructions have been issued to install solar panels at all deputy commissioner offices across the country within the next three months," he said while speaking to journalists after attending the third day of the DC Conference at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium today (5 May).

The minister said that rural electricity distribution lines are extremely long, and when any technical fault occurs, it takes some time to identify the issue.

"Due to this technical reason, there may be temporary disruptions in electricity supply, but the situation is quickly restored after repairs," he said.

The minister added that this should not generally be described as load shedding.

Tuku further clarified that recent power disruptions in some parts of the country were not caused by any fuel shortage. "Rather, they occurred due to technical faults."

He strongly emphasised that claims of load shedding due to a lack of fuel are not accurate.

The minister also thanked district commissioners for their strong efforts in addressing what he described as attempts to create artificial fuel shortages in recent days.

During the DC conference, field-level officials were given a detailed briefing on the current electricity and energy situation so they can disseminate accurate information at the local level.

He also informed the media that district commissioners have assured full cooperation in expanding renewable energy initiatives.

"This environment-friendly power generation plan is being considered part of the government's Sustainable Development Goals," Tuku said.