Untapped wind potential

LAHORE: Just 90 kilometres from Karachi lies the Jhimpir-Gharo corridor, a stretch of Sindh’s landscape where the wind blows with a consistency and force envied by much of the world. Yet, Pakistan’s total installed wind capacity stands at only around 1,800 megawatts in 2025

This is barely a fraction of the true potential of this wind corridor. Engineers have known for years that this region could be the backbone of Pakistan’s clean energy future. In fact, projects here are already producing power at competitive rates, with turbines often spinning at capacity factors above 30 per cent — a mark of efficiency that rivals international standards (typical onshore wind farms worldwide produce ~25-40 per cent capacity factor depending on wind speed and turbine height).

By comparison, our neighbour India is racing ahead with over 50,000 megawatts of wind power. Even Bangladesh, with far less wind resource, has begun to plant its first turbines, though on a much smaller scale.

What is holding us back is the normal national practice of flawed policies. Experts point the hesitance of investors starting from policy uncertainty to a number of other factors that includes, transmission bottlenecks and investor mistrust. Repeated government attempts to renegotiate contracts have made developers cautious. The power grid around Jhimpir cannot carry much more electricity without costly upgrades. And financing is hard to secure when the sector is burdened by circular debt and shifting tariff policies.

This is not a story of a country without wind. It is a story of a country without a clear, stable plan to use it. Pakistan could double or even triple its wind capacity if it honours signed contracts and ensures investor confidence. It must expand transmission lines from Sindh’s wind belt to major demand centres. Moreover, Pakistan must go for regular competitive auctions for new projects as being successfully practiced in India. To ensure steady round clock green power the power planners should support hybrid wind-solar storage projects.

Pakistan’s first-ever solar-wind hybrid power project, located in Dhabeji, Sindh, is being developed by K-Electric (KE). In September 2024, KE received seven bids for the project. A Canadian firm, JCM Power, emerged as the lowest bidder with a tariff of approximately PKR 8.9189 per unit (~ 3.09 US cents/kWh) over a 25-year term. The project is under regulatory review by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and is considered a landmark step in Pakistan’s renewable

If these steps are taken, Jhimpir’s steady breeze could help cut costly fuel imports, lower electricity bills, and clean our air. For citizens, the ask is simple: press policymakers to stop wasting the wind. The resource is here. The technology works. The only question is whether Pakistan has the will to turn potential into power.

The Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park (Khavda) located in Kutch, Gujarat, this mega-project is currently under construction, not yet fully operational. It has already commissioned 1GW of solar capacity and 250MW of wind capacity as of mid-2024. Others are still in the pipeline.