Lahore: The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) recently highlighted that Pakistan would double its renewable energy share by 2031.
Pakistan plans to double its renewable energy share in the power mix from 31% to 62% in the upcoming eight years. The plan is to double the solar and hydropower production to meet the electricity demand across the country.
SIFC issued a document named Pakistan’s Planned Energy Transition, in which the country’s efforts to curtail dependence on fossil fuels and transition towards green energy are mentioned.
The current overall power generation capacity is 45 GW. SIFC intends to boost the energy production capacity by 2031. As per SIFC, Pakistan has a substantial renewable energy potential of 3300 gigawatts. Among the overall power capacity, solar power has a 2900 GW share, wind power has a 340 GW share, and hydropower has a 60 GW estimated potential.
The present hydroelectric share in Pakistan’s energy mix is 24%, and the expansion will be 33%. At the same time, the percentage of solar power is currently 2%, which will be boosted to 19%. Moreover, the wind power share will be elevated from 4% to 10%.
SIFC has significant plans to increase the overall energy production in Pakistan by scaling the power capacity to 51 GW by 2025.
Pakistan has plenty of renewable energy opportunities under the solar, hydro, and wind projects.
SIFC issued a document named The Land of Immense Potential and Opportunities, outlining the potential of RE resources.
According to SIFC, here is the energy capacity of power generation projects in Pakistan.
| Project Name | Capacity (MW/MVAR/MWh) |
| Solar PV projects in Punjab | 600 to 1,200 MW |
| Diamer-Bhasha Dam Hydro Power Project | 4,500 MW |
| Transmission line projects in Punjab and Sindh | 500 KV |
| Reactive power compensation devices | 2,000 MVAR |
| Battery storage for frequency regulation | 1,000 MWh |
| Power projects at Thar Coal Block II, Sindh | 1,320 MW |
| Hydropower projects at Rajdhani | 132 MW |
Special Investment Facilitation Council is a financing board initiated by the former prime minister of Pakistan, Mian Shahbaz Sharif. The committee serves as a “one-window” platform for quick decision-making and facilitates foreign direct investment in the country.
Now that the hard work has begun, foreign investments and Pakistan’s dedication to boosting renewable energy would bring positive changes and ensure a greener and more sustainable future for the country.
