ISLAMABAD, March 8: The signal from US Secretary of Energy, Samuel W. Bodman, to Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Monday that he would be visiting Pakistan ‘shortly’ has mobilised the Foreign Office to update Pakistan’s energy security plan before his visit.

Mr Bodman’s visit would mark the formal launching of high-level Pakistan-US energy dialogue that would inaugurate an energy working group.

The consultation process is already underway and all the relevant ministries and five different organisations dealing with renewable and alternative energy sources have been asked to give their inputs before the end of the week, it is learnt.

The meeting with the US official is meant to set a baseline and determine areas of cooperation, he said. Pakistan is optimistic about gaining US technology, expertise and financing for energy projects particularly in the field of gas and clean coal as a consequence of the Pakistan-US Energy Dialogue. “We will be looking at gas exploration, clean coal and alternate sources of energy,” another official said.

During the recent visit of President George W. Bush here, Pakistan and the United States decided to hold a high-level energy meeting shortly.

The US energy secretary telephoned the foreign minister to inform him about his visit exactly one day after the decision was taken.

When the US Energy Secretary comes here Foreign Minister Kasuri would hold delegation-level talks with him with representatives of all the concerned ministries