USAID hosts renewable energy zone workshop

Islamabad: USAID hosted seventy energy experts from across the country to learn about the potential for developing Renewable Energy Zones in Pakistan.

The goal of the two-day technical workshop was to introduce innovative and effective concepts for expediting and scaling up the commercial deployment of renewable energy projects that will make it possible to leverage the abundant reserves of solar, wind, biomass, and hydroelectric potential in this country.

Clay Epperson, USAID’s Deputy Mission Director said, “Together, we can develop indigenous, clean and sustainable energy resources that will improve energy access for consumers, bring down the cost of electricity, help accelerate human development, and enhance the country’s economic competitiveness.” Applauding USAID’s efforts in the Energy sector, the Member Energy at the Planning Commission, Tahwar Hussian said, “We are thankful to USAID for providing assistance in carrying out a detailed analysis for the development of REZs in Pakistan. This exercise will certainly pave the way for scaling up renewable energy deployments in Pakistan while ensuring cost-effectiveness and efficient utilization of grid infrastructure."

Sessions were led by technical experts from USAID, the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, the World Bank, and senior management from Pakistan’s Alternative Energy Development Board, National Transmission and Dispatch Company, and Planning Commission.

The event was organised under United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Sustainable Energy for Pakistan Project, a four-year technical assistance program geared towards increasing private sector investment and providing a viable, cost-effective means of inducting renewable energy at scale into the local transmission grid.