The adoption of renewable energy is taking place at a rapid pace globally. More and more countries are ditching conventional fossil fuel based generation in favour of cleaner alternatives such as wind and solar based power generation.

As part of its clean and green drive the PTI government has also signaled its intention of catching the renewable energy bus. And it looks like which road that bus will take is going to be dependent on the recently finalized draft Renewable Energy Policy 2019.

The enthusiasm certainly seems to be running high with the government setting an audacious target of 25 percent of total generation capacity to be supplied by alternative and renewable energy technologies by 2025.

Thankfully for the PTI, the renewables sector has been lucky in Pakistan in the sense that continuity has prevailed for the large part in policies over the years. This coupled with lucrative returns for early investors has seen considerable investment pour in to the sector.

However, achievement of this ambitious target will need consensus from all relevant stakeholders; the biggest out of which are the provinces. But the new energy policy has not been well-received by Sindh and K.P.K.

Respective CMs of both provinces have submitted written protests to the PM emphasizing that billions of dollars’ worth of solar and wind power projects are at stake which are in the pipeline and have proceeded according to the previous Renewable Energy Policy of 2006.

The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) earlier asked the provinces to abandon the previous policy in favour of the new one albeit prematurely given that the new one is still a draft and has yet to be approved.

Even though a new policy is welcome given the considerable developments that have taken place in the renewable energy landscape, it would be better to take the provinces on board as most of the investments in the renewable sector have come through the provincial route and with support of the provincial governments.