Pakistan’s plan to get Electricity from India stalled

Islamabad, Oct 21: Energy deficient Pakistan’s plan to import up to 4,000 MW of electricity from India has been stalled by sub-continental tensions, a senior official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

“How can we push for electricity import (from India) when those at the helm of affairs in India are taking an extremely anti-Pakistan posture,” Dawn quoted a senior official from the Ministry of Water and Power as saying.

Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif told the Senate last week that Pakistani and Indian officials had discussed plans to import 500 MW from India in April 2012.  Two years after these discussions, M/s Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) of India visited Pakistan in April 2014 to discuss matters.

The minister said AEL had submitted a draft to the ministry, proposing the export of 500-800 MWs in two-three years as a starting point, recommending an eventual scale-up to 3,500-4,000 MWs.

Asif added: “But no further progress was made in this regard.” The minister for water and power also informed the Senate about plans to import electricity from Iran as well as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.