Pakistan: Punjab signs energy deal with Turkish company

By Aamir LatifKARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan’s largest province Punjab and a leading Turkish energy company signed an agreement Thursday to set up a 100-megawatt solar power project in the region. Under the agreement, the Turkish company Zorlu Enerji Holding will set up the solar project at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in the Bahawalpur district within the next six months, said a statement from Punjab government. Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Zorlu Enerji Holding CEO Omer Yungul signed the deal at a ceremony in the provincial capital of Lahore.
The project aims to provide low-priced electricity to people in the region, the statement said.
The Punjab chief minister said the agreement was "a welcome step”.
Sharif said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a recent visit to Pakistan, had offered cooperation to boost the energy sector, the crises of which were responsible for the country’s tattered economy.
"And this project is the first step,” he said. “We are thankful to the president, the prime minister and government of Turkey for this cooperation”, he added.
Zorlu Enerji Holding CEO Yungul promised that all efforts would be made to complete this project before the due date.
“Pakistan is our second home and a number of Turkish companies are already working with the Punjab government,” Yungul said.