Islamabad: Pakistan’s parliament on Tuesday became the first in the world to totally switch to green energy with a solar power production project.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended a switch-on ceremony at the parliament where Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq, ministers, parliamentarians and other officials were also present, Dawn reported.

On April 21, 2015, the inauguration ceremony for the project was jointly attended by Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was on a two-day official visit to the country.

Speaking on the occassion, Sharif thanked the Chinese government for its support in the materialising the Green Parliament Project and termed it a testimony of the solid friendship between the two countries, and urged the public and private sectors to follow the exemplary project.

He said, “Pakistan has launched a number of power projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative, which will help Pakistan overcome its energy crises. Pakistan, with the Chinese cooperation, will be able to control its energy woes in 2018.”

The environment-friendly project that was completed on December 7 last year has zeroed the electricity bill of the Parliament House.