Pakistan’s power minister announced a strong push to increase the use of indigenous fuels for power generation, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) expressed commitment to support the country’s power sector reforms.
The development came during Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari’s meeting with Emma Xiaoqin Fan, Country Director of the AD, to discuss ongoing reforms and future cooperation in the power sector, read an official statement on Tuesday.
The minister said that Pakistan’s power sector has recently shown strong resilience despite global energy challenges. He said this stability is due to greater use of indigenous resources, including local coal, hydel and solar energy.
He said that the government is focused on increasing the share of indigenous fuel for power generation to keep electricity prices affordable.
Emma Xiaoqin Fan acknowledged the government’s proactive measures and noted that these efforts in the power sector have significantly improved the overall resilience of the national economy.
She said ADB is interested in deep diving into the requirements of the energy sector and supporting newer initiatives such as digitisation, integrated planning, data governance, privatisation, and institutional governance in Pakistan.
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Fan shared that ADB is already providing technical assistance for AMI meters and is conducting studies on the impact of rooftop solar and battery energy storage systems BESS in the power sector.
She also highlighted capacity-building programs, including specialised training opportunities in Korea for power sector professionals to build skills and support reforms.
Meanwhile, Leghari stressed that the selection process for such programs should be fair and transparent. He said that professionals equipped with modern skills will help drive institutional improvements.
He stressed the importance of the National Grid Company (NGC) and sought necessary support for its restructuring.
Emma Fan informed that the Vice President of ADB is expected to visit Pakistan later this month.
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