KARACHI, May 17: Improving efficiency of the existing power plants, conserving energy and opting for a cheaper fuel mix, inclusive of coal, solar and wind energies, is the way out of the present energy crisis that has resulted in widespread public outrage in the country, experts at a seminar on energy have said.

They were speaking at a “Dialogue on energy solutions” organised by the Energy Update here on Thursday.

The experts on energy-related issues said that three to four thousand megawatts of electricity could be produced from the existing generation capacity through improved efficiency and conservation by making a small investment.

They suggested that it was necessary to construct buildings in such a way that permitted maximum use of sunlight and emphasised the need for building codes to be formulated and changed to accommodate this concept.

They suggested that it should be made mandatory for owners of commercial and other buildings, including residential apartments, to use maximum number of solar panels to make them energy efficient.

Some experts were of the view that despite the initial high cost of such projects, they would prove much cheaper in the long run.

A mix of coal, solar and wind energies should be the driving force in overcoming the energy crisis in the country, they said.

They said that the cost of energy generation would be difficult to control because it was directly linked to the cost of fuel.

Pakistan should therefore decrease its reliance on oil for generating electricity as it would always be costly, they said.

They said that the Thar coal project got the key to pull the country out of the energy crisis but unfortunately no electricity was being produced by using this source of energy.

They also expressed concern over a raging controversy on Dr Samar Mubarakmand’s gasification project and emphasised that instead of indulging in such debates, the country must move forward to derive maximum benefit by using all options and technologies.

“Pakistan must also invest in research and development,” they stressed.

They also emphasised the use of hydroelectric power to meet major requirement of energy in the country.

Expressing concern over the widening gap between supply and demand, line losses, and circular debt issues, some of the participants in the meeting were of the view that instead of giving trillions of rupees in subsidy, the government should try to bring down the cost of producing electricity.

It would in turn bring down the cost of other productions and provide incentive against power theft, they said.

An energy expert and the chief of Byco, Kaleem Siddiqui, said that a sufficient amount of electricity was wasted during generation, distribution and at consumers’ level due to inefficiencies in the system.

He claimed that a clear-cut move towards the use of costliest fuel — furnace oil — had created all the ills in the energy sector.

About 60 to 70 per cent of the total generation was on furnace oil, raising the cost to Rs13 to 17 per unit, he said.

Energy expert Vinu G. Advani said the core issue was the inefficiency which was eating away a large amount of funds and causing a shortage of electricity in the system.

“This problem can be overcome by making a small investment instead of setting up new power plants,” he said.

The managing director of the Progas Energy, Abbass Bilgrami, said that a couple of thousand megawatts could be saved by improving efficiency and using energy saver and light-emitting diode (LEDs) bulbs.

He underlined the need for declaring an ‘energy emergency’ in the country to deal with the current power crisis and called for changing the mindset for moving ahead.

The country manager of the Kuwait Petroleum Ltd Pakistan, Talat Jabeen, said that price mechanism of petroleum products was the internal matter of the Pakistani government.

Capacity and adequacy was not an issue in Pakistan, they said and added that there was a sufficient installed capacity to meet the maximum demand.