The PGREF is a cooperation initiative between the Governments of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Federal Republic of Germany supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development (BMZ) to create a network between their respective industries, public sectors and innovation networks in the Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) field.

Background and vision
Pakistan’s energy sector is marked by a substantial electricity shortage of about 6000 MW installed capacity, affecting economic growth as well as social development – with no or limited and unreliable access to electricity (ca. 50% of the population), frequent load-shedding and high energy prices relative to income levels. With economic growth and rising energy demands, the energy crisis continues to hamper Pakistan’s development.

Pakistan’s current energy mix
Projections indicate that on top of a 10% increase on the current 30% of electricity provided by hydro-power in Pakistan, up to 30% of Pakistan’s electricity in the next decade could come from other renewable sources mainly solar PV, wind power and biomass. Additionally, Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE & C) measures need to contribute by adding demand-side management to reduce the relative need for energy (decoupling). The overall potential for energy savings from EE & C, and with it’s CO2 emission reduction, is estimated to be approximately 30-50%.

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