Pakistan’s government has ordered shopping centres and markets to close early every day as part of measures to economise energy as the country faces an energy and economic crisis.
A BBC report quoted the country’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that the measures would save the South Asian nation around 62bn Pakistani rupees ($274.3m; £228.9m).
Pakistan generates most of its power using imported fossil fuels.
The closure of shopping centres and markets earlier than their normal closing hours of the day is expected to reduce their electricity consumption.
In a post shared by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League -N(PML-N) party on Twitter and sighted by energynewsafrica.com, Pakistan intends to ban the production of inefficient electric fans by July this year.
“The federal cabinet has immediately approved the Energy Conservation Plan’s enforcement,” it said.
It said a campaign would be launched in print, electronic and social media to raise awareness of the energy conservation plan.
It further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed, during the cabinet meeting, to reduce the usage of electricity in all federal departments by 30 per cent.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com