WASHINGTON: Richard Olson, the United States’ Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has said that America wants to promote new private sector to invest in Pakistan’s clean energy generation, transmission and distribution to help the country overcome energy crisis.
He said this while speaking at the concluding session of the two-day US-Pakistan Clean Energy Business Opportunities Conference. The ambassador said the event was one of the first outcomes of the US-Pakistan Clean Energy Partnership, which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Obama announced in Washington in October. “The partnership is the next step in our support for Pakistan’s energy sector. We are off to a great start,” he added.
The conference was attended by Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif and Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The ambassador said that developing Pakistan’s energy sector was one of the top priorities of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s government.
Olson said that he was convinced that clean energy solutions, including renewable sources like the wind and solar energy, geothermal, hydro and natural gas, were not only the best hope for resolving Pakistan’s energy crisis but also an assurance that our children could enjoy a cleaner and healthier future.
“Prime Minister Sharif’s attendance this week at the COP21 conference in Paris demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to doing its part in the global campaign to manage climate change,” he added.
Olson said that clean energy was an integral part of this effort, and Pakistan’s embrace of renewable energy sources could enable it to play a leadership role on global environmental issues.
