Italian major Eni on Friday inaugurated its photovoltaic plant, in Bhit, central Pakistan. The plant, built near the Bhit Gas Plant, aims at supporting upstream operations by providing green energy "in an offshore configuration", the company said in a statement.
"Bhit Photovoltaic Plant, while adding extra value to the traditional operations held in Pakistan, confirms Eni’s commitment towards a low-carbon scenario in which renewable energy plays a pivotal role and is fully integrated in the energy mix," said the statement.
The Bhit solar plant, operated by subsidiary Eni New Energy Pakistan, has a 10MW peak capacity and is expected to generate approximately 20GWh (Gigawatt hours) annually. The energy produced will be used on site, reducing gas consumption and saving around 144,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions during the life of the plant, according to the statement
The photovoltaic plant works in full synergy with the existing power generation system of Bhit gas treatment plant, optimising operational costs with the shut down one of the existing gas turbines. Exploiting all the synergies in place with its presence, Eni has achieved a short time-to-market, with a start-up reached only 6 months after the Final Investment Decision (FID).
Pakistan could in future produce 75 percent of electricity from indigenous sustainable resources without importing fuels such as a oil and gas, according to its government.
Eni has been present in Pakistan since 2000 and operates in the Upstream sector, where the main permits in the country are Bhit/Badhra (Eni operator with a 40% interest), Kadanwari (Eni operator with 18,42% interest), Latif (Eni 33,3%), Sawan (Eni 23.68%), Zamzama (Eni 17.75%) and Miano (Eni 15,16%).
Eni is the Operator of three blocks in Pakistan's offshore and is also active in the Midstream sector.
