Power Markets

The Challenge:

Pakistan's electricity system is stuck in a loop where outdated decisions keep repeating themselves, and better solutions never reach the grid. Decades of fragmented planning and weak coordination have created a system that resists change, even as renewable technologies become cheaper and more reliable worldwide. The challenge isn't just producing more power, it's about building a smarter, more flexible grid that can integrate clean energy at scale and respond to demand in real time. Without reforming how electricity is planned, managed, and governed, Pakistan risks locking itself out of a renewable future that could deliver reliable, affordable power to millions.

Our Work:

In this space, the Power Markets program at RF works to strengthen long-term electricity planning, advocate for market competition, promote academic alignment with the power sector, and improve grid stability and flexibility to build a reliable, affordable, and cleaner electricity system for Pakistan. The program develops independent planning scenarios using modeling tools, that demonstrate how renewable energy can meet Pakistan's needs more cost-effectively than current approaches. This technical evidence becomes the foundation for strategic engagement with government agencies, regulators, and parliamentarians to advocate for competitive market reforms that would break existing monopolies and create space for clean energy investment.

Our work entails technical studies, training programs, stakeholder dialogues, and targeted interventions to promote informed policymaking and long-term energy sector reform.