ISLAMABAD, June 15 – Aiming at the status quo and future planning of Pakistan’s energy industry, on June 13, the China Study Centre, National University of Science and Technology of Pakistan (NUST) held the 2023 Pakistan International Energy Summit with the joint support of Ministry of Energy, Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, P&C and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
After welcome addresses delivered by Lt Gen (R) Muhammad Asghar, HEC, guests from China and Pakistan made a series of wonderful speeches on the theme of energy sustainable development.
Mr. Wang Huihua, Energy China International introduced challenges for renew able energy investment in Pakistan, noting that the Energy China has operate 24 ongoing projects with more than 29,000 employees in Pakistan, covering Suki Kinari Hydro, Azad Patan Hydro, Dasu Hydro, 100MW Jhimpir UEP Wind, K2/K3 Nuclear Power, etc., among which the 884MW Suki Kinari Hydropower project under the framework of CPEC, with an investment of USD 1.96 billion, has completed about 87 percent, and it is expected to be officially put into operation in 2024. Besides, another CPEC project, 700.7MW Azad Patan Hydropower, with an investment of USD 1.54 billion, will start construction soon due to the land acquisition has already done.
By contrast, “challenges and opportunities coexist in renewable energy investment in Pakistan,” Wang pointed out, “unsustainability of electricity payment structure, macro situation weakness, inadequate infrastructure, highly dependent on imported fuel, these factors are all urgent affairs. By facilitate RE project in pipeline, raise investment policy attractiveness and upgrade NTDC grid for RE integration, we can seek effective ways to help Pakistan optimize its energy structure.”
Another guest, Hank Shao, Managing Director, Huawei Cloud Pakistan, gave a keynote speech themed on the digitalization of the energy sector for energy conservation and environmental protection. According to Shao, as leading provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei is devoting to decarbonization and digital and intelligent transformation. Having been deeply involved in the Pakistani market for 24 years, it has worked closely with local partners, achieving fruitful results. So far, Huawei has served more than 10 local operators, with 80 percent Pakistanis use Huawei services directly or indirectly.
“The DigiPowerCloud, which we are currently developing with all the strength, aims to establish an open ecosystem and accelerate the process of energy digitalization. For Pakistan, low-carbon home, campus, ICT and city is a reasonable choice to reduce energy consumption and drive carbon neutrality,” Shao emphasized.
Other attendees included Dr. Hassan Daud Butt, Advisor SDPI, Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Principal S3H NUST, Mr. Aqeel Asghar, Director AEDB, Xie Xiaoqing, CPEC Research Center, China University of Geosciences, Ms Xiang Yang, Director, China Study Centre NUST, Dr Anjum Munir, Agricultural University Faisalabad, Pauline Asbrand, Pakistan-German Climate and Energy Partnership (PGCEP)–GIZ, Mr. Tauseef H Farooqi, Chairman NEPRA and Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, UAF.
