Aga Khan Fund commissions power plant in Gilgit Baltistan

Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) on Friday announced it commissioned a 1MW solar photovoltaic power plant (SPP) with 600 kWh Battery Storage in Gilgit Baltistan's Hunza district. 

The project sets a unique precedent as the first public-private partnership (PPP) in Gilgit Baltistan, producing clean energy and actively contributing to the global agenda to mitigate climate change.

The inauguration ceremony of the project was attended by GB Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan and other representatives of the government as well as the local community leaders.

CM Khan said that his province encourages clean and green energy solutions while congratulating AKFED for commissioning the power plant.

"We assure the communities that the provincial government will focus on more renewable energy programmes to overcome the power shortages in Gilgit-Baltistan," said the chief minister. 

He was accompanied by Provincial Minister for Planning and Development, Raja Nasir Ali Khan, Advisor Information Eiman Shah, Provincial Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development Dilshad Bano, Secretary to Chief Minister Sana Ullah, Secretary Water and Power Sajjad Haider, Secretary Works Sabtein Ahmed and other senior political and community leaders.

The plant's 2,376 photovoltaic panels at an altitude of 2,800 metres above sea level, started feeding power to the Hunza district grid. It will produce 1,600MWh per year of electricity from solar energy resources, which will power local households and businesses, addressing the acute energy deficit in Hunza District and avoiding approximately 1,134 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.

The GB government has signed a 30-year concession agreement aimed at developing sufficient generation capacity, business and utility operations, ensuring a self-sustaining supply of clean, reliable and affordable electricity to every household in Hunza district.