Pak: Pilot project to be commissioned by July-end

Karachi: A pilot project, costing $5 million, to produce 486 million cubic feet of bio-gas and 25 kilowatts electricity per day from cow dung will be commissioned by the end of July, 2008.

This was stated by the President of National Engineering Corporation (NEC) and Chief Executive of the pilot project, Feroz Shah, while briefing Sindh Minister for Environment and Alternative Energy, Askari Taqvi, during his visit to the bio-gas plant in Cattle Colony, Bin Qasim.

Secretary, Environment, Husain Ali, was also present on the occasion. Feroz said that a British company, HiRAD Plc, UK, has installed this plant as a pilot project to utilise cow dung, and convert it into bio-gas and electricity, besides producing 2.25 tons enriched natural manure (organic fertiliser) per day. He said that cow dung would not be discharged into the sea, as had been done in the past and instead this waste would be used to produce bio-gas, electricity and manure.

He said that after successful experiment, a larger plant, with the capacity of producing 30 megawatts electricity, 0.43 million cubic metres bio-gas and 1,500 tons manure per day would be installed in Cattle Colony.

'The cost of the larger plant is estimated in the range of $110 to $120 million, and leading multinational companies besides Asian Development Bank (ADB) have already shown their interest to invest in this project', Feroz informed the minister.

He said that several such plants of alternative energy can be set up under joint venture between the local and foreign companies. He said that bio-gas, having 70 percent methane (CH4) and 30 percent carbon dioxide, will be sold to companies, whereas KESC has agreed to buy the electricity.

The Minister gave assurance for all possible support to the project and said that alternative energy has a bright future in the wake of skyrocketing oil prices. Joint Secretary of Karachi Dairy Farmers Association, Shaukat Mukhtar, also the owner of cattle farm where the bio-gas plant is coming up, called upon the Minister to provide smooth access to the plant by improving the dilapidated approach road. He also appealed to the Minister to direct the city government to improve sanitary conditions in the Cattle Colony.