Pakistan launches 'Data Governance Council to modernize power sector

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) has formally established the Power Sector Data Governance Council (PSDGC), the first institution of its kind in Pakistan’s public sector.

In a statement, the ministry described the initiative as a historic step toward enhancing transparency, attracting international investment, and building a future-ready power sector.

According to a press release, the council will serve as the foundation for data-driven decision-making across the power sector and is expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping the industry’s future.

The ministry noted that for years the power sector operated on fragmented, inconsistent, and unreliable data spread across multiple institutions. Generation companies, distribution companies, transmission entities, and regulatory bodies maintained separate systems, definitions, and datasets, resulting in inefficiencies and conflicting information.

Weak data quality controls, the absence of standardized definitions, lack of metadata and traceability, inadequate data security, and the absence of a centralized data repository contributed to data silos, duplication, and inconsistencies that undermined planning and decision-making.

To address these challenges, the government has introduced a comprehensive Data Governance Framework that establishes clear policies, standards, roles, and processes for managing data throughout its lifecycle—from creation and validation to secure storage, quality assurance, and controlled sharing.

The council has been constituted as a high-level, cross-institutional body comprising representatives from key power sector organizations. It has also been established with the participation of the Pakistan Digital Authority to ensure alignment with national digital governance standards.

The ministry said the framework has been designed in accordance with DAMA-DMBOK, an internationally recognized standard for professional data governance.

Under the council’s oversight, a Centralized Data Repository will be developed to consolidate sector-wide data into a single authoritative platform, creating a “single source of truth” for the first time. This will enable planners, regulators, and investors to work with the same verified datasets.

The ministry said secure and controlled access to data will help ensure confidentiality, integrity, and compliance with governance standards, while supporting accurate demand forecasting, targeted infrastructure investments, early risk identification, and efficient resource allocation.

It added that improved interoperability among sectoral systems will eliminate duplicate IT investments and generate cost savings that can be redirected toward improving electricity services for consumers and businesses.

The ministry further stated that investors will gain access to validated, comparable, and audit-ready data from a single official source, reducing due diligence risks, shortening investment timelines, and strengthening Pakistan’s position as a transparent and governance-compliant destination for long-term energy sector investment.