KARACHI, Dec 25: Despite having made contacts and negotiations, it appears the Sindh government and the federal government-backed alternative energy body -- AEDB - are still on a different wavelength as far as harnessing wind potential in the coastal area of Sindh is concerned.

According to sources in the government, the Environment and Alternate Energy Department of Sindh is preparing to make a presentation to the prime minister of Pakistan on the issue of wind farms in Thatta district as planned by the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB). The AEDB is said to have offers of investment from foreign companies for developing non-conventional and environment friendly energy means, including solar stations and windmills.

Headed by Shahid Hamid, a retired air marshal, the AEDB, established about a year back at the prime minister secretariat, Islamabad, had identified different areas in Sindh and Balochistan for establishing about 14 small wind plants to provide electricity to the energy deficit population, particularly of the rural areas.

According to a survey, the coastal belt from Gharo to Ketibandar in Thatta catches winds suitable for energy generation. Keeping that in view, the AEDB unveiled a plan to set up 100-mw wind energy generation projects there.

The Board had a meeting on the wind mills with the Sindh chief secretary in July. It then made a presentation before the provincial chief minister, after which the idea was approved.

However, the Adviser to Chief Minister on Environment and Alternative Energy, Noman Saigol, who had expressed his reservations on the AEDB's working for the first time in September, at a departmental meeting, remarked that the AEDB was not taking Sindh into confidence and was by-passing Sindh's Department of Environment and Alternate Energy.

Mr Saigol maintained that he had already raised the issue with the provincial government and would send a letter to the prime minister through the chief minister, detailing about injustices feared to be observed in Sindh's case.

According to news reports, it was resolved in the October meeting that the provincial environment department would prepare a draft, under which regulatory power would rest with the Power and Irrigation Department, Sindh, while wind power plants, with a capacity of less than 50-mw would be installed, and the chief minister would be the competent authority to approve the establishment of such power plants.

The adviser at a press briefing on September 23 had mentioned that a windmill project for Thatta was being finalized in Islamabad without consultations with the Sindh government.

It was learnt that officials of the environment department and the adviser were not in favour of handing over more than 22,000 acres of land in Thatta to the AEDB, without a feasibility study and knowing promised benefits to Sindh.

The officials wanted that a meeting of the AEDB authorities and the Sindh chief secretary, for allocation and handing over of land for the planned wind farm network, including turbine, be delayed, until the prime minister was apprised about Sindh's apprehensions, and until members are taken on the Board from Sindh as well, said a source.

On the other hand, independent sources were of the view that the site for the project be identified.