Need of Dams in Pakistan
Pakistan: Meeting Energy, Fiscal Needs
Lead story from September issue of Centerpoint
While in many respects a troubled country, Pakistan in recent years has experienced robust economic growth. Panelists at a recent Asia Program conference, however, speculated that underlying fiscal problems might be jeopardizing that growth.
Meanwhile, higher energy consumption has placed greater strains on the country’s energy resources. During President Bush’s visit to Pakistan earlier this year, he and the Pakistani president committed to developing alternative energy sources. Pakistan's current and future energy needs was the topic of another Asia Program conference on June 23.
Fueling the Future
Natural gas and oil supply 80 percent of Pakistan’s energy needs but current energy consumption vastly exceeds the supply. For instance, Pakistan currently produces about 18 percent of the oil it consumes, fostering a dependency on imports that places considerable strain on its financial position. Meanwhile, hydropower and coal are underutilized, though Pakistan has potentially ample supplies of both.
Mukhtar Ahmed, energy adviser to Pakistan’s prime minister, noted 40 percent of Pakistani households are not connected to the electric grid. During the next 20 years, he warned, Pakistan's energy demand will increase by 350 percent, yet the percentage of its total energy needs met from indigenous sources will fall from 72 to 38 percent.
Ahmed said Pakistan must develop an integrated plan to combine energy imports with indigenous energy resources and develop programs emphasizing greater efficiency and management. No longer can Pakistan afford to consider renewable energy “a curiosity,” he said.
Pakistan’s government is considering projects that would tap its neighbors’ resources, such as importing natural gas from the Middle East and power from Central Asia. Pakistan’s long-range energy policy involves a shift from a predominantly state-controlled industry to one that
Lead story from September issue of Centerpoint
While in many respects a troubled country, Pakistan in recent years has experienced robust economic growth. Panelists at a recent Asia Program conference, however, speculated that underlying fiscal problems might be jeopardizing that growth.
Meanwhile, higher energy consumption has placed greater strains on the country’s energy resources. During President Bush’s visit to Pakistan earlier this year, he and the Pakistani president committed to developing alternative energy sources. Pakistan's current and future energy needs was the topic of another Asia Program conference on June 23.
Fueling the Future
Natural gas and oil supply 80 percent of Pakistan’s energy needs but current energy consumption vastly exceeds the supply. For instance, Pakistan currently produces about 18 percent of the oil it consumes, fostering a dependency on imports that places considerable strain on its financial position. Meanwhile, hydropower and coal are underutilized, though Pakistan has potentially ample supplies of both.
Mukhtar Ahmed, energy adviser to Pakistan’s prime minister, noted 40 percent of Pakistani households are not connected to the electric grid. During the next 20 years, he warned, Pakistan's energy demand will increase by 350 percent, yet the percentage of its total energy needs met from indigenous sources will fall from 72 to 38 percent.
Ahmed said Pakistan must develop an integrated plan to combine energy imports with indigenous energy resources and develop programs emphasizing greater efficiency and management. No longer can Pakistan afford to consider renewable energy “a curiosity,” he said.
Pakistan’s government is considering projects that would tap its neighbors’ resources, such as importing natural gas from the Middle East and power from Central Asia. Pakistan’s long-range energy policy involves a shift from a predominantly state-controlled industry to one that