South Asia Investor Review

Pakistan celebrates Earth Day on April 22 every year by organizing various events sponsored by the government and non-government organizations to raise awareness of the issues faced by the earth. Today it is being observed with a range of initiatives, including pledges for zero waste, commitments to sustainable practices, and community-based actions to protect the planet. Pakistan contributes less than 1% of global carbon emissions, but it is among the countries considered most vulnerable to climate change. About a third of the country was devastated by massive  floods  in 2022. The nation committed continued pursuit of nature-based solutions to the problem at  COP26  in Glasgow in 2021. As part of this commitment, the country is planting one of the world's largest  mangrove forests  in the Indus River Delta, a key component of its Ten Billion  Tree Tsunami  campaign launched by former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The area where Pakistan is mak...

Access to abundant and cheap electricity is essential for running a modern competitive economy. The rapidly growing power demand for generative AI data centers makes it even more important. The best way to ensure it is in switching to renewable energy sources. That is why Pakistan is in the midst of a renewable power boom. It is ramping up generation of clean energy with solar, hydro, wind and nuclear power. 13 gigawatts of  solar panels  have been imported in the first half of this year alone. Another 10 gigawatts of  hydroelectric  power projects are under construction for completion by 2030, bringing the total hydropower capacity to 20 gigawatts. Pakistan's total nuclear energy production capacity rose to  3,620 MW , when the country's sixth  nuclear power  plant opened two years ago. Pakistan and China have recently signed a $4.8 billion deal to build another 1,200 MW nuclear power plant. There are 36 private  wind projects  pr...

Pakistani power regulators have approved a regulatory framework for  solar  and  wind energy  for both commercial and residential installations. The framework includes  feed-in tariffs  for commercial power producers and net metering for  residential  applications of up to 1 MW. Under the new  Net Metering Law , NEPRA, the Pakistani power regulator, will grant power generation licenses to solar and wind system owners. The owners will need to register the critical equipment used, particularly the make and model of inverter and generator used. Among other technical considerations, the generator must also install a manual disconnect device to take the system off the network if necessary, according to details published by  PV Tech publication . Source: PV-Tech Net metering is a billing mechanism that pays solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. It allows a residential customers with rooftop solar pane...