Senator Sherry Rehman, speaking as Chief Guest at the Parliamentary Forum on Energy and Economy \u201cImplications of IGCEP 2025, politics of energy generation in Pakistan\u201d on Thursday, commended the conveners of the forum for addressing issues of great national importance and fostering dialogue that involves matters central to Pakistan\u2019s energy and economic future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Rehman underscored that \u201cenergy represents wealth for a country \u2014 it is the foundation of energy democracy, security, and sovereignty.\u201d She emphasized that \u201cevery industry, every household, every school, and every farm depends on low cost, sustainable, durable and affordable energy to power growth and human development. Electricity is not a privilege \u2014 it is a human right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referring to global energy trends, Senator Rehman noted that renewable energy has overtaken coal as the world\u2019s leading source of electricity in the first half of 2025. Growth in solar and wind energy, she said, met 100% of the rise in global electricity demand, driving down reliance on coal and gas.
She underscored that in 2024, 47% of Pakistan\u2019s electricity came from low-carbon sources (Ember 2025), while according to Pakistan\u2019s Ministry of Energy, the figure was even higher at 55% \u2014 both well above the global average of 41%. Pakistan ranked as the 26th largest country in the world by electricity demand, a clear sign of its growing energy footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Rehman reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s climate commitments under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) \u2014 to achieve 60% of power generation from renewable sources by 2030, net-zero emissions by 2050, a 30% transition to electric vehicles by 2030, and a complete ban on imported coal. \u201cRenewables are the path to energy sovereignty and energy democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing Pakistan\u2019s remarkable rise in the global solar landscape, Senator Rehman stated that Pakistan is now the 6th largest solar market in the world (World Economic Forum, 2025).
She lauded the Sindh Government\u2019s pioneering role in renewable energy, recalling how it launched solar initiatives as early as 2013 \u2014 solarizing 600 schools in Nagarparkar and electrifying border villages in Sanghar despite federal restrictions at the time.
Shedding light on the Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP) led by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and supported by the World Bank, she said the initiative aims to provide affordable solar systems to 500,000 low-consumption households, with priority given to beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Rehman cautioned that Pakistan\u2019s current energy planning remains \u201crooted in a 20th-century grid system \u2014 archaic, aging, and unoptimized.\u201d She called for a \u201clow-cost, best-cost\u201d energy system that is inclusive, efficient, and sustainable.
\u201cThe biggest flaw in the IGCEP 2025 plan is that it did not include adequate consultation at the right level,\u201d she noted. \u201cIn the absence of provincial involvement, several provincial governments have raised concerns over the exclusion of their power projects from the IGCEP. Similarly, there is a notable lack of inclusion of significant variable renewable energy projects (solar and wind) for Sindh and Balochistan, despite their vast natural potential in these resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis intervention requires parliamentary consensus and provincial consultation \u2014 not just box-ticking exercises. Real consultation must be institutionalized through the Council of Common Interests (CCI), public audit, and parliamentary oversight.\u201d
Senator Rehman pointed out the need for serious reform in regulatory and investment frameworks:
\u201cNEPRA has lost a great deal of investment because it has failed to provide a predictable contractual environment. This is Pakistan\u2019s principal issue \u2014 the absence of policy consistency. Governments change policies without consulting anyone, and that undermines investor confidence.\u201d
She also criticized the continued debate around privatization of distribution companies (DISCOs), arguing that \u201cat least the public sector remains answerable, and utility bills are already burdened with Rs 3.6 per unit due to circular debt \u2014 something every citizen is paying for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Rehman reiterated that despite a nominal energy surplus, citizens continue to face \u201cghair ilan\u012b load-shedding\u201d (unannounced power outages), and high tariffs keep affordable energy out of reach for millions. \u201cNo Pakistani should be left outside the electricity tent,\u201d she declared.
She urged policymakers to \u201cincentivize renewable energy and make it cost-effective for people,\u201d and to communicate reforms in \u201ca language everyone understands.\u201d
\u201cThis is a moment to audit, to listen, and to reform \u2014 to build an energy sector that works for the people. We don\u2019t need miracles, we just need systems that work,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Senator Sherry Rehman, speaking as Chief Guest at the Parliamentary Forum on Energy and Economy \u201cImplications of IGCEP 2025, politics of energy generation in Pakistan\u201d on Thursday, commended the conveners of the forum for addressing issues of great national importance and fostering dialogue that involves matters central to Pakistan\u2019s energy and economic future. Senator Rehman […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n