ISLAMABAD: Pakistan spans plains, deserts, forests, and plateaus, ranging from the Arabian Sea to the mountains of the Karakoram and Hindu Kush.
The nation’s energy mix is dominated by thermal power, with almost 60% of electricity generated from oil-, gas- and coal-fired power plants. Fossil fuels are neither environmentally sustainable nor cheap: Generation costs were substantially skewed toward oil- and gas-fired power plants, which accounted for 46% of the total cost in fiscal year 2017.
However, the country has tremendous potential to expand electricity generating capacity by developing renewable energy resources. A large percentage of Pakistan’s more than 200 million people lack reliable access to energy, which is key to socioeconomic development. This severely impacts the economy and people’s livelihoods, according to a write up published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“Pakistan has huge untapped hydropower potential; The government is now focusing on developing several hydropower sites to ensure less dependence on imported fuel and more on indigenous clean energy resources. ADB is ready to support this crucial development.” says Joonho Hwang, director of the Energy Division for the Central and West Asia Department at the ADB.
Hydropower has several advantages. It is a clean energy source renewed by rainfall and snowmelt. Hydropower plants can supply large amounts of electricity and are much cheaper than power plants using imported fuel. Pakistan’s geography and geology are favorable – mountainous regions in the north have deep, rocky valleys that are ideal for hydropower generation. Despite the prospect of water scarcity, it’s also a water-rich country – globally only 33 countries have more renewable water.
However, Pakistan’s water infrastructure was historically built to cater to the needs of agriculture. Harnessing its huge hydro potential is a rather new development – only about 9,860 megawatts of capacity has been developed, out of a potential 60,000 megawatts. If Pakistan could harness all of its potential capacity, the country could overcome its energy shortage and at the same time reduce spending on imported fuel.
In November 2019, Pakistan’s Alternative Energy Development Board approved the Alternative and Renewable Energy Policy. As a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, Pakistan aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total power generation to 30% by 2030. ADB has provided assistance to Pakistan’s energy sector in recent decades and improving the sector’s efficiency will remain a focus under the Country Partnership Strategy 2021-2025.
In recent decades, the southern European nation has witnessed decreasing annual rainfall and increases in the frequency and duration of droughts. Addressing these issues as part of adaptation to climate change is a priority of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began in January 2021.
With no fossil fuel resources or reserves of its own, Portugal has depended on imports to meet domestic demand for oil and gas, just as Pakistan does. Coupled with the European Union’s targets to cut carbon emissions, this has led to growing interest and investment in renewable energy. Portugal was the first country in the world to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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