ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities on Wednesday to ensure solar systems are installed in all government buildings in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad within seven weeks, as the South Asian country attempts to reduce its dependence on imported fuel. 

In December last year, the prime minister announced Pakistan’s plan to solarize government buildings and departments by April 2023 to slash the country’s sizeable fuel import bill. 

With a little over $3billion in reserves, Pakistan is desperately trying to shore up its foreign reserves by reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the past couple of months. With prospects of default looming large and a fast-depreciating currency, Islamabad is actively trying to stave off a balance of payments crisis. 

Pakistan’s energy imports during the last fiscal year were $23.3 billion, 29 percent of the country’s total imports. During the current fiscal year, the country imported energy products worth $7.7 billion, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Sharif has described solar energy as a “low-hanging fruit” that can be used to relieve pressure on Pakistan’s forex reserves. The premier chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review progress on solarizing government buildings, with the ministers of finance, defense and special assistants in attendance. 

“The prime minister has directed [authorities] to install solar systems in Islamabad’s government buildings within the next seven weeks,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. It added that the premier had directed “relevant institutions” to ensure the work was completed within the seven-week timeframe. 

“Will not tolerate any delay in implementation of steps to reduce dependency on imported fuel,” Sharif said, directing authorities to start work on solarization of federal government buildings in other parts of the country. 

“The government is trying to reduce the burden on people’s pockets with low-cost and environment-friendly electricity,” he added. 

Sharif was told by officials that solar panels would be installed in 496 buildings in Islamabad, 340 in the country’s large cities including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Faisalabad, and 1,255 buildings in other parts of the country.

To cut reliance on imported fossil fuel, Pakistan plans to increase the share of clean energy to 60 percent in its energy mix by 2030 to save the foreign exchange. Currently, the share of renewable energy is only about 4 percent, according to official data.