Pakistan’s Energy Waste and Code Adoption Delays

The federal government is reportedly spending Rs3.5tr annually on energy imports, according to a report. This was highlighted during an event on Pakistan’s Energy Security, hosted by the LUMS Energy Institute (LEI) and attended by key officials from National Grid Pakistan (NGP).

Dr Fiaz Chaudhry, Chairman of National Grid Pakistan, stated that the nation is losing wealth due to energy inefficiencies. He noted that most of the added capacity was for cooling buildings, which remain unused for most of the year, leading to higher capacity payments and circular debt.

The LEI reported that the federal government approved an energy conservation building code in 2023, which could reduce cooling load by 51pc. However, provincial governments in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan have not adopted these codes, delaying implementation.