US to help Pakistan move towards 60% clean energy by 2030

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States (US) have agreed to advance transition to renewable energy as both the government committed to work together to help Pakistan reach its goal of 60 percent renewables by 2030, ARY News reported on Wednesday.   

The understanding was reached during Energy Security Dialogue in Islamabad, chaired by Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir Khan and US Department of State Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt.

In a joint statement issued by US Embassy, Pakistan and the United States affirmed a mutual commitment to advance the transition to renewable energy and promote a more stable, secure, and prosperous energy future for both nations.

Officials and experts engaged on energy issues and areas for cooperation, including Pakistan’s renewable energy transition, electric vehicles, and increasing the participation of women in the energy sector.

Both governments resolved to continue deepening bilateral partnership through the US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework.  “The Green Alliance framework will help the United States and Pakistan jointly face climate, environmental, and economic needs, especially through partnership on renewable, sustainable, and clean energy,” it added.

The United States and Pakistan acknowledged their long history seeking to advance energy cooperation and sustainable economic growth. “For over 50 years, the United States has invested in Pakistan’s power generation, including in clean energy through hydropower, which continues to benefit millions of Pakistanis today,” noted the statement.

Through the Energy Security Dialogue, the two governments made new commitments to advance energy cooperation.

The US announced new programs in Pakistan, including a $500,000 project to restore electricity infrastructure in flood-affected areas in Sindh, a grant to further research and development of electric vehicles at the Lahore University for Management Science, and support for a second cohort of the US-Pakistan Women’s Council’s Future of Women in Energy Scholars Program launched with Texas A&M University to support women’s leadership in renewable energy.

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“The two governments committed to work together in the coming year to help Pakistan reach its goal of 60 percent renewables by 2030,” the statement said, adding that the delegations look forward to the United States-hosted US-Pakistan Energy Security Dialogue in 2024.