ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari on Wednesday held a meeting with a delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), led by its Chief Investment Officer Konstantin Limitovskiy, to discuss investment opportunities in Pakistan’s energy sector, transmission infrastructure and renewable energy projects.
During the meeting, the minister briefed the delegation on the government’s ongoing reforms and future priorities in the power sector, emphasizing upon efforts to improve efficiency, transparency and sustainability.
He highlighted that the availability of relatively low-cost electricity in the southern part of the country has created significant investment opportunities in North-South transmission infrastructure to ensure efficient transfer of electricity to northern regions.
Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said the government was also working on the digitalization of the power sector and the installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters was an important part of this strategy.
He informed the delegation that progress was underway on the phased installation of around 10 million meters, while nearly 1.5 million meters have already been installed in the initial phase. The minister also identified Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and transmission lines as key priorities of the government.
The delegation expressed interest in investing in Pakistan’s energy sector and shared that the Bank currently has a potential investment around 100 to 150 million dollars in pipeline.
Referring to its experience in different countries, the delegation said the Bank was exploring opportunities to support renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure and transmission projects in Pakistan.
The delegation also expressed its commitment to enhance cooperation on viable projects through close coordination between the Bank’s technical teams and relevant Pakistani institutions.
At the end, both sides agreed to further expand cooperation in the energy sector, strengthen technical engagement and continue consultations on future investment opportunities.
