KARACHI: Foreign and local investors with stakes in wind power projects are facing multiple challenges, which range from a curtailment by the energy off-taker to an unannounced moratorium on the import of renewable energy equipment.

Xiaohui Ma of Goldwind, a global wind-turbine supplier with investments in Pakistan, told a webinar on Monday that procedural glitches were hampering the operations of wind power projects in the country.

He urged the government to refocus on both wind and solar power as complementary technologies and develop ambitious plans and frameworks for both segments to maximise their benefits.

Participating in the webinar that was organised by Renewables First, a think tank for energy and the environment, Alternative Energy Development Board CEO Shah Jahan Mirza said Pakistan had immense potential for renewable energy generation.

He highlighted Pakistan’s ambitious goal of adding 14,000 megawatts of wind and solar power to the grid in the next 10 years. He also urged the government to redirect Chinese investment in Pakistan’s energy sector from coal to clean sources.

In order to attract more foreign investment in the renewable energy sector, China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd Deputy CEO Noorul Arifeen Zuberi said the country should adopt a streamlined project development process and remove all barriers through close collaboration and engagement with stakeholders.

He also highlighted private-sector investments in transmission and distribution segments as a solution to the bottlenecks that restrict greater renewable energy integration.

In his concluding remarks, National Electric Regulatory Authority Chairman Tauseef H. Farooqi said he was “upbeat” about the potential of Chinese investment in the renewable energy sector.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2023