Energy is a basic necessity much like food and water. Countries are dependent on those resources for economic growth. Unfortunately Pakistan faces a major energy crisis in natural gas, power and oil. Power surges and blackouts seem to continue as usual and this has been going on for 5 years now. Power outages usually last 10 –12 hours a day in the cities and more in the rural areas. This has left the industries of Pakistan (mainly agricultural, secondary and tertiary sectors) stunned and so they are unable to fully operate. This has a very negative impact on the economy of the country. Many debates were held to solve this problem, but no actions have been taken to realize their ideas.
The demand of energy in Pakistan is huge, and can’t be fulfilled by electricity production based on oil. It can only meet 20% of our requirement through native production and the remaining oil is imported from Gulf States and other countries. No major oil, field has been discovered in last three decades. It is clear that other alternative production methods must be considered to meet the demand. Most likely one that is cheap, considering initial setup cost, and costs attached.
The second method of production we use is thermal (i-e using coal to produce electricity). Pakistan has been blessed with wealthy mineral resources, but the sad part is that we are too ignorant to explore them. We are sitting on gold mines and yet we do nothing about it. Balochistan, for instance, is rich with all sorts of minerals and could be exploited heavily. If we could solve the feudal problems of the provinces, and let the national and international companies explore the area, we might solve our fuel problems too. But this is a precious non-renewable resource, so we need better options.
Other major option is hydro-electric power generation. This is the cheapest and most feasible way of producing electricity for our country. Two major energy dams in Pakistan are Tarbela and Mangla. If only the proposed Kalabagh dam would be constructed, 80% of our energy needs would be fulfilled. Best option is to construct this dam, and take advantage of the natural hydrography of Pakistan in maximum possible extent.
Wind power and solar power generation are good alternatives as well. Their initial costs are low when compared to other methods, and are definitely in the best interests of our country. Furthermore, we have to control political instability that plagues our nation, and poses a barrier for the implementation of proposed solutions to the energy crisis in Pakistan.
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