ISLAMABAD: A World Bank team comprising Husam Mohamed Beides, Practice Manager for Energy, World Bank Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) Region, will be visiting Pakistan from July 20–26, 2025.
According to sources, Pakistan’s Country Management Unit has moved to MENAAP region from July 1, 2025 and this would be introductory meeting with the officials from the sector, understanding Bank’s ongoing energy sector portfolio and supporting its further progress.
In addition to Practice Manager, the World Bank team will comprise Muhammad Anis (senior energy specialist), Waleed Saleh Alsuraih (lead energy specialist), Waqar Idrees (senior energy specialist), Gunjan Gautam (senior energy specialist), and Minahil Raza (energy specialist).
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Another WB team will visit Pakistan, from July 21 to July 29, 2025, to carry out a preparation mission for boosting energy security through transmission in Pakistan (Best-Pak) program phase- 1.
The mission will engage with the National Grid Company (NGC) previously known as National Transmission and Distribution Company (NTDC), the implementing agency of the project, Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO), Ministry of Energy (Power Division) and Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The objective of the mission is to appraise the Phase 1 STATCOM project prepared by NGC for proposed financing by the WB. Phase-1 of the programme will finance installation of STATCOMs at key locations along the NGC network to improve voltage stability, support reliable power system operations, and enable greater integration of renewable energy to enable South-North power transfer.
This will be the first deployment of STATCOM technology at scale in Pakistan. The Bank team will comprise Waleed Saleh Alsuraih (lead energy specialist), Mohammad Anis (senior energy specialist), Waqas Idrees (senior energy specialist), Ahmad Imran Aslam (senior environmental specialist), Jerome Bezzina (senior digital specialist), Ric Austria (senior power transmission Engineer), Sarah Khokhar (social development specialist), Syed Wajahat Ali Shah (procurement specialist), Mirza Omer Baig (financial management specialist), Naoki Fujioka (energy specialist); and Bahodir Amonov (energy specialist).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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