What does Pakistan’s Energy Mix look like?

Understanding the Energy Mix of Pakistan

Energy Mix of Pakistan

Generally, energy resources are divided into conventional and non-conventional or renewable resources. Conventional Resources are categorized into two types, Thermal Energy including coal, oil, natural gas, and Nuclear Energy. The Non-conventional Resources can be solar, hydel, wind, geothermal, and biomass. Pakistan’s two-thirds of the energy requirements are fulfilled by thermal resources. The Primary Energy Consumption of different sources has been demonstrated by Integrated Energy Planning for Sustainable Development (IEP) under the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, with the same percentage of fuel oil and natural gas, 19% coal, 17% electricity, and the lowest LPG consumption. 

Primary Energy Consumption 2020 (IEP)

Why Pakistan is still far behind the other developing countries despite its potential for renewable energy production? Pakistan’s energy mix is mainly 64% fossil fuels, 27% hydropower, and 9% other renewables and nuclear power. Coal is an important form of fossil fuel with increasing consumption in Pakistan. The share of coal in the energy mix has certainly increased in the past few years due to the Chinese investment projects under CPEC. Whereas there is a frequent lack of financial and technical resources to install and run hydroelectric power plants. There is an emphasis on clean and safe energy for use and environmental protection, for this the use of coal has to be reduced with a shift towards hydel and solar energy. Technological innovations have improved energy efficiency with decreased costs and affordable usage.

Pakistan’s energy mix is in shambles. The country has consistently lagged behind other countries in terms of its renewable energy generation, with only 2% of its electricity coming from renewable sources. This is large because Pakistan has historically relied on fossil fuels and imported gas to meet its energy needs. Due to these factors, Pakistan has one of the highest CO2 emissions in the world. It is well documented that CO2 emissions are directly linked to climate change and therefore pose an urgent threat to global warming. However, there are other factors at play too such as deforestation and soil degradation which further contribute towards global warming by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; this has led to increased flooding in certain regions across Pakistan. For example, last year’s floods affected over 60 million people throughout Pakistan and caused extensive damage; this was largely attributed to climatic events like these events occurring more frequently because of changing weather patterns due to global warming.

Pakistan must urgently reassess its current energy mix and devise an energy policy based on a cost-benefit ratio as well as sustainability and optimal utilization. In the short run where Pakistan faces acute electricity deficiency, new hydro projects cannot be expected to meet the deficit. In the long term, there is a need to enhance investment in hydropower generation as there continues to be a risk of shortage of dependence on fossil fuel continues. The fact is that to suit the needs of Pakistan there needs to be an extensive expansion of the available energy sources. The energy mix of Pakistan needs to be more than just gas, oil, hydel and solar.

Best Regards,

Areeba Abid, Haider Tanoli, Irfan Haider, Talha Khaliq

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