Experts have laid stress on solid and broad consensus among key stakeholders for curbing coal-based power generation in Pakistan and diverting 60 per cent of the total energy mix to renewable energy by 2030.

They laid emphasis at a moot held to deliberate upon Institute of Policy Study’s subject of barriers surrounding distributed generation. IPS Executive President Khalid Rahman chaired the event that was moderated by former water and power secretary Mirza Hamid Hasan and addressed by Asad Mehmood from National Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (NEECA).

Aftab Ahmad Awan from the Planning Commission of Pakistan,  Neshmiya A. Khan, Hamza Butt and Maryam Arshad from World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Zeeshan Ashfaq from World Wind Energy Association Pakistan (WWEA), Mushtaq Gaadi from Quaid-i-Azam University, and Dr Azhar Lashari and Haneea Isaad from Rural Development Policy Institute (RDPI) were among the participants.  

IPS team consisting of Naila Saleh, Hamza Naeem and Sara gave the briefings. The speakers termed solar prosumage as an irresistible and most promising solution to simultaneously advance renewable energy uptake vis-à-vis address chronic bottlenecks plaguing the national power sector. They discussed at length how several barriers including regulatory bumps at inter-connection phase, tech trust deficit, finance issues, and inertia at the level of distribution companies (DISCOs)

Overall great emphasis was made on the alignment of distributed generation growth in IGCEP, significant stakeholder consultations and support, and consolidated changes for overcoming the identified challenges. They took up the environmental impact assessment of coal power generation in the country that was not easily accessible