Experts call for energy management

Experts have agreed that pro-active energy management is the need of the hour for Pakistan to meet emerging challenges in the energy sector.

They shared their views with participants of a webinar titled “Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2047 and Challenges”, organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

Institute for Energy Economics Analysis representative Simon Nicholas said although the plan considered both energy and economic impacts, still there was a risk and the plan could prove to be unsustainable on both fronts.

Concerns had been raised over gross domestic product (GDP) projections as well, he added. “Moreover, the major risk to the IGCEP is the locking of too much power, which will cause mammoth economic losses,” he said. “Pakistan will be better off by reducing the cost of generation.”

National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) official Tauseefur Rehman emphasised that planning and forecasting of energy demand was the main driving parameter behind plans such as the IGCEP 2047.

Elaborating, he said it was an indicative plan that would be updated every year and take changing scenarios of GDP growth rate and electricity sales into account.

Rural Development Policy Institute (RDPI) representative Haneea Isaad said the plan lacked explanation in its least cost analysis. “Hydropower may not have been optimised and transmission cost does not appear to be part of the plan,” she pointed out.

She expressed concern over the grave social, financial and environmental risks posed by overdependence of IGCEP on fossil fuel-based energy generation.

She added that 30% renewable energy in the total energy mix by 2030 had been targeted but a decrease in the share of renewables was feared after 2030.

Glasgow University Assistant Professor Muhammad Asif pointed out that energy efficiency and management was a major contributor and pre-requisite for an energy-efficient outlook.

He added that measures for demand-side management and policies were missing from Pakistan’s plan of action. “For a better outlook, pro-active energy management activity and diverse energy supplies should be prioritised,” he said.

Speakers termed initiatives like IGCEP a positive step and held the view that it could play an important role in determining the future direction of energy policy in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2020.

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