ISLAMABAD: Pakistan received $300 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for energy sector reforms. This was confirmed by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan. The minister took to Twitter and acknowledged receipt of $300 million from ADB for energy sector reforms. It will also help to strengthen forex reserves and stabilise exchange rate.
The minister expressed that approval of this programme showed the confidence of the IFIs and the MDBs on the reform agenda of the GoP and its successful implementation. He reiterated the government’s commitment to further continue reforms in the economy, energy, capital markets, revenue and governance, etc.
Energy Sector Reform and Financial Sustainability Program helped the GoP to (i) secure financial sustainability by controlling the accumulation of and reducing circular debt; (ii) strengthen governance; and (iii) reinforce infrastructure improvements, he added.
The ADB had approved the $300 million policy-based loan to support financial, technical, and governance reforms to strengthen Pakistan’s energy sector and improve its financial sustainability.
Six financing agreements of $1.543bn signed with ADB
The financing is part of the second sub-programme of the ADB’s Energy Sector Reforms and Financial Sustainability Programme, which aims to improve the governance of Pakistan’s energy sector and reduce and manage the accumulated cash shortfall across the power supply chain known as circular debt, according to a statement issued by the Manila-based lender. The first sub-programme in the amount of $300 million was approved in December 2019.
ADB Director General for Central and West Asia, Yevgeniy Zhukov, said that as Pakistan’s key development partner in the energy sector, the ADB has been supporting the government to expand access to reliable, affordable electricity and help enact reforms that make the sector more efficient and sustainable.
He said the programme would help facilitate public and private sector investment across the energy sector value chain through key policies and integrated planning, and will help expand renewable energy generation.
According to the statement, disruption from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic stressed the finances and supply chains of Pakistan’s energy sector, slowing the pace of sector reforms initiated by the government in 2019. Losses incurred by state-owned enterprises that impacted the energy sector’s circular debt, together with pandemic relief measures put unprecedented pressure on the energy sector’s liquidity and finances.
Reforms under the ADB’s programme will help make Pakistan’s energy sector more financially sustainable by addressing inefficient tariffs and subsidies, high generation costs, system losses, and a lack of integrated planning.
The programme also aims to enhance energy infrastructure and professionalise the management of energy entities to improve their performance. ADB Central and West Asia Director for Energy, Joonho Hwang, said the ADB continued to work with development partners to advance crucial energy sector reforms and implement a road map for a competitive electricity market. Ultimately, these reforms will help improve the quality and reliability of power supply to the benefit of all-commercial, domestic, urban, and rural consumers, Hwang added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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