By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s installed solar power capacity has reached 38,000 megawatts, while clean energy now accounts for 55% of the country’s electricity generation, Energy Minister Awais Leghari has said.
Speaking at the Battery Storage Flexibility 2026 Conference, the minister said the government aims to increase the share of clean energy in the national power mix to 90% by 2035. He said Pakistan was seeking to reduce its fuel import bill by expanding the use of battery energy storage through local production.
Leghari said the government was encouraging the development of a domestic battery storage industry, including local engineering, system integration and battery management software. He added that the Ministry of Industries was finalizing a national policy for battery manufacturing.
The minister said work was under way on a National Battery Energy Storage Framework, which will include safety standards, grid connection requirements and investment regulations. He also announced that a National Steering Committee on Battery Energy Storage Systems had been established, alongside technical and regulatory working groups. Pilot battery storage projects for electricity distribution companies have also been approved, he said.
According to Leghari, data gathered from these pilot projects will help shape future regulatory policies. He said Pakistan had become one of the world’s fastest-growing distributed energy markets and pledged that the government would provide investors with a clear and long-term regulatory framework.
Inviting international investors and technology companies to invest in Pakistan, Leghari said the conference’s recommendations would be incorporated directly into government policymaking, adding that the government was looking for practical, evidence-based proposals rather than “showpiece reports”.
