Moot for benefits to communities hosting power projects

KARACHI: Experts, lawmakers, researchers and representatives of affected communities at the Sindh Energy and Climate Conference (SECC26) on Tuesday called for sweeping reforms in the province’s energy sector, stressing that the transition to renewable energy must guarantee electricity access, protect local communities, strengthen provincial autonomy and ensure equitable distribution of economic benefits.

Discussions on the opening day of the two-day conference at a local hotel exposed a widening gap between energy production and public access.

The communities living alongside major wind and power projects continuing to face electricity shortages, inadequate infrastructure, environmental degradation and limited employment opportunities.

At a panel titled How to Make the Energy Transition Just? Moving to Renewables with Intention, speakers argued that communities hosting renewable energy projects should not remain excluded from the benefits of the transition. Research presented at the session showed that only 16 per cent of households living near 36 independent power producers (IPPs), with a combined generation capacity of around 1,800 megawatts, have access to the national electricity grid.

Presenting findings based on four rounds of Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) data, Uswa Ali Memon, Programme Manager of the Gender Just Transition Collective at Sath (formerly CSIDC), said the presence of power projects had not translated into measurable improvements in living standards among host communities.

She said 63 per cent of households using solar energy had financed their systems themselves, with some selling women’s jewellery and livestock to meet the costs. Around 52 per cent primarily used solar power to charge mobile phones, none used it for cooking, and women were identified as the principal energy decision-makers in only seven per cent of households.

Community representatives from Jhimpir and other project areas said local residents had not been adequately consulted before wind projects were established.

Rukhsar of the Sindh Energy Justice Alliance recalled that turbines began appearing in Jhimpir in 2007, while consultation committees excluded women and failed to secure meaningful community participation.

Lawmakers and civil society representatives also questioned the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) arrangements.

MPA Rehan Bandukda said the 2017 CSR law, which provides for one per cent of profit after tax, remained voluntary, while implementation mechanisms and institutional accountability were weak.

Speakers called for mandatory CSR contributions, district-level monitoring committees, public disclosure of project spending and community benefit funds.

They also stressed that education, healthcare, water, roads and electricity were basic rights and should not be treated as substitutes for corporate social responsibility.

Ilimuddin Rind of the Young Social Network urged energy companies to invest in local education and technical training so residents could secure skilled employment rather than remain dependent on temporary assistance.

Concerns over the social and environmental consequences of large-scale energy projects were also raised by residents of villages near the Thar coal development.

Community representatives questioned the distribution of promised jobs and royalties, the absence of clear resettlement arrangements and the handling of industrial wastewater.

Residents alleged that wastewater disposal had damaged agricultural land near villages, while coal dust, open dumping and noise pollution were affecting their living conditions.

They also expressed concern over inadequate educational facilities and the lack of effective responses to complaints submitted to the relevant authorities.

Another major theme was the need to decentralise electricity governance and strengthen provincial authority over the sector.

At a panel on Decentralised Energy Governance in Sindh, Aslam Uqaili, Asad Ali Shah and Barrister Zamir Hussain Ghumro called for effective implementation of Article 157 of the Constitution, arguing that provinces must exercise their constitutional powers in electricity generation, distribution and related decision-making.

The speakers said decades of centralised control had contributed to institutional weaknesses, poor accountability and an electricity system that remained expensive and unresponsive to consumers’ needs.

They identified the Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority (SEPRA) as an opportunity to strengthen provincial regulation, improve institutional capacity and establish a more competitive electricity market with adequate consumer safeguards.

The broader energy and climate debate also highlighted the potential of decentralised renewable energy systems to address electricity shortages in remote and underserved areas.

At a session titled Sindh’s Energy and Climate Landscape: Opportunities, Challenges and the Path to a Just Transition, experts called for greater investment in microgrids and minigrids, particularly in rural communities where extending the national grid could be difficult or costly.

Moderated by Zara Agha, Chief Executive Officer of CSSP and Just Energy Transition Programme Lead, the discussion featured Noor Muhammad Bajir, Zain Molvi, Zainia Shoukat, Dr Sunil Kumar and Hussain Jarwar.

Participants stressed that energy planning should begin with an assessment of actual local demand rather than focusing exclusively on large-scale generation projects. They also called for reliable and disaggregated data to identify inequalities in energy access, particularly those affecting women and agriculture-dependent households.

The panel emphasised the importance of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), arguing that communities must participate in decisions from the initial planning stages rather than being consulted after projects have been designed or constructed.

Climate adaptation and financing also emerged as major priorities. Dr Sunil Kumar observed that climate change was already forcing households to alter their livelihoods, raising questions about whether existing adaptation programmes adequately addressed local needs.

Hussain Jarwar of the Indus Consortium called for international climate finance to be provided primarily through grants rather than loans, arguing that debt-based assistance further burdens countries already struggling with economic pressures. He urged international financial institutions, including the IMF and World Bank, to reconsider their climate financing mechanisms in line with climate justice principles.

The discussions collectively underscored that Sindh’s energy transition cannot be measured simply by the number of renewable energy projects or megawatts generated. Its success, speakers maintained, must also be assessed through improved household electricity access, community participation, local employment, environmental protection and equitable distribution of benefits.

The conference, being held on November 3 and 4, brings together government representatives, energy experts, industry stakeholders, researchers, civil society organisations and affected communities to develop shared priorities for Sindh’s energy and climate future.

Organised by the Climate Action Center Karachi, Sath, CSSP, PIDC, The Knowledge Forum, Indus Consortium and PRIED, SECC26 is focusing on energy access and climate justice, decentralised governance, the transition away from fossil fuels, renewable energy, zero-emission transport and climate finance.

The organisers aim to conclude the conference with shared recommendations and a practical framework for advancing a more equitable and sustainable energy transition in Sindh.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026