The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA)

*Above | Karachi
Karachi is all set to host the 17th World Wind Energy Conference-2018 (WWEC) as the city is going to welcome most distinguished names from all over the world who promote the cause of consuming renewable energy resources for upkeep of the entire green planet and its people.

The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) will hold the 17th World Wind Energy Conference-2018 at a hotel in Karachi from 28 to 30 November 2018.

This is the first time Pakistan is going to host such an internationally recognized conference on renewable energy. Around 600 domestic and foreign delegates will attend the 17th WWEC.

Prominent speakers of the event will include Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on power sector Shahzad Qasim, President of WWEA Peter Rae, Secretary General WWEA Stefan Gsaenger, Chairman of Prime Minister’s Task Force on Energy Reforms Nadeem Babar, Member Task Force Akbar Ayub, Federal Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan, Member (Energy) of Planning Commission Syed Tahawar Hussain, CEO of Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) Amjad Ali Awan, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh, Sindh Director for Alternative Energy Mehfooz Qazi, former UNESCO Head of Renewable Energy Dr. Osman Benchikh and other officials of Sindh Energy Department.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Country Representative Pakistan of WWEA Zeeshan Ashfaq said that Karachi had been chosen as venue of the upcoming international conference as the city was not only financial hub of the country but it was also capital of Sindh province of Pakistan that was hub of power generation in Pakistan on basis of alternative power resources.

He said that the upcoming global moot would provide an excellent opportunity to experts of renewable energy to do exchange of ideas with each other on frank basis on new trends, techniques, and technologies being used the world over to maximize power production on basis of alternative energy resources.

WWEA Peter Rae said that with huge increase in the efficiency and reduction in the cost of wind and solar power in particular the rollover of renewable is under way around the world.

“It is clean, efficient, and relatively low cost and can help countries which have been importing fossil fuels for electricity generation by making a huge beneficial difference in the foreign exchange balances,” said Rae.

WWEA Secretary General Stefan Gsaenger underlined the various benefits of wind power and renewable for socio-economic development of all countries around the world beyond climate change mitigation, communities, and businesses alike to flourish based on 100 per cent renewable energy economy. It will increase their resilience, autonomy, and prosperity, he said.

Air Marshal (retired) Shahid Hamid, Honorary Vice President of WWEA, said that the upcoming conference would serve as the best opportunity to unveil to rest of the world massive and true potential of Pakistan to generate clean electricity using its alternative energy resources.

He said that so far these indigenous energy resources of the country were largely untapped.

He hoped that the upcoming conference would help relevant authorities in Pakistan to adopt the best regulatory regime in the power sector to ensure maximum utilization of renewable and clean resources of power while abandoning the option of electricity generation on basis of conventional resources.

Sindh Director for Alternative Energy Mehfooz Qazi said that the Sindh province was the host to the Pakistan’s first properly identified and exploited wind corridor from Jhimphir to Gharo as wind power projects installed there had been generating well over 1’000 Megawatts of clean energy for the country’s national grid.

Waqas Qureshi, CEO of Transatlantic Energy, hoped that the new federal government once completing its 100 days in power would play its role to revive the wind energy sector of the country whose growth had been stuck for the last two to three years of the previous regime.

Some of the world cities that hosted the earlier editions of the WWEC are Istanbul, New Dehli, Beijing, Tokyo, Havana, Cairo, Bonn and Shanghai.

The latest 17th edition of WWEC in Karachi also features a trip for its foreign delegates to the Wind Corridor of Thatta-Jhimpir that is adjacent to the city.

The Renewable Resources Ltd. is the co-host of WWEC2018 that is being organized in collaboration with the AEDB and Sindh Government’s Energy Department.

More information: www.wwec2018.com – www.wwindea.org