PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will complete two major solar energy projects this year to shift 7,000 mosques across the province, including the merged tribal districts, to solar power, officials said on Thursday.
According to the Energy and Power Department, the projects include the solarisation of 5,000 mosques in the settled districts and 2,000 mosques in the merged districts. The initiatives are expected to save more than Rs700 million annually for the people of the province and generate around 15 megawatts of electricity, benefiting approximately 840,000 worshippers as part of a public welfare programme.
According to a statement issued here these remarks were made by Secretary Energy and Power Nisar Ahmed while chairing a review meeting on the progress of the two projects being implemented under the Annual Development Programme.
He said the timely completion of energy projects was among the top priorities of the provincial government so that the public could benefit at the earliest.
The meeting was also attended by Special Secretary Energy and Power Habib Arif, Senior Chief Planning Officer Zahir Shah, Project Director Solar Projects Engineer Asfand Yar Khan, and representatives of the government-owned National Radio Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) including Alam Khan, Haider Khan and Aamir Afridi.
Officials were informed that the Rs5.86 billion project to convert 5,000 mosques in the settled districts to solar energy was progressing rapidly, with 2,400 mosques already solarised, while the remaining 2,600 would be converted during the current year.
Similarly, out of the 2,000 mosques in the merged districts, 600 have so far been shifted to solar power and the remaining 1,400 are scheduled to be completed this year.
Mr Ahmed stressed the importance of timely release of funds for both projects and directed that the remaining work be completed within the stipulated timelines. He also instructed the establishment of a complaint cell to ensure uninterrupted solar power supply to mosques during the month of Ramazan.
NRTC officials assured the meeting that work on both projects would be further accelerated.
Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2026
