Powering Pakistan's renewable energy transition

Context

Pakistan’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as of October 2021 sets a binding greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 15 per cent compared to the 2015 baseline. In the energy domain, the goal is to achieve GHG reduction primarily by increasing the share of renewable energies (RE) from the current 30 per cent (25 per cent hydropower, 5.4 per cent wind, solar and biomass) to 60 per cent by 2030. However, Pakistan’s targets for expanding renewable energies pose numerous technical challenges for transmission and distribution system operators regarding expansion planning. The main areas requiring expertise include developing forecasting methods for RE electricity yields across various locations and ensuring grid connections without compromising grid stability or causing large-scale power outages.

Objective

Key players in the power industry have implemented regulatory and digital solutions to facilitate the energy transition.

Approach

The project supports the energy transition with the following measures:

1. Supporting institutions in the Pakistani energy industry to adopt regulatory requirements, policy guidelines, or instruments for implementing the Renewable Energies Strategy.
2. Conducting a training cycle to disseminate the necessary technical and digital knowledge for developing a grid integration master plan for grid operators and other entities in the electricity industry.
3. Implementing technical measures in selected areas of two distribution grids to reduce grid losses.
4. Supporting distribution system operators in implementing elements for grid integration (e.g. stability, flexibility, grid rules, grid capacity) or digitalisation or automation.

Last update: March 2024