The US government is cooperating with the Pakistani government to start a $23.5 million, four-year power sector improvement project to combat climate change and boost the amount of green energy in Pakistan’s energy mix through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project would also improve the management and operations of electricity distribution networks, boosting the financial viability, dependability, and affordability of Pakistan’s power system by providing technical support to the government and private sector.
At the inaugural event, USAID Mission Director Julie A. Koenen remarked, “The United States looks forward to extending our collaboration with Pakistan to establish a cleaner, economical, and dependable energy generation sector, laying the framework for sustainable and inclusive growth.”
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“Through this new power sector improvement project, USAID will collaborate with Pakistan’s government to promote the country’s transformation to a fully competitive wholesale power market.” This would promote private sector engagement in an open and transparent manner, and will help us achieve our common energy objectives,” she added.
The Private Power Infrastructure Board’s Managing Director, Shah Jahan Mirza, lauded USAID for its collaboration, innovation, and long-term cooperation in assisting Pakistan’s transformation, and said he looks forward to continuing the partnership to improve Pakistan’s power sector performance.
Building dams and transmission lines, reacting to humanitarian situations, and combating common concerns like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and water vulnerabilities have all been part of the US-Pakistan collaboration over the last 75 years.
To increase Pakistan’s energy supply, the US and Pakistan have built three dams – Gomal Zam dam in South Waziristan, Satpara dam in Gilgit Baltistan, and Golen Gol dam in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding 143 megawatts of electricity to the national grid – and rehabilitated the Mangla and Tarbela dams and three thermal power plants, as well as connecting more than 860 megawatts of commercially
