Pakistan’s wind power is going to waste
GHARO, PAKISTAN — Standing beneath a 300-foot wind turbine, listening to rhythmic whooshes of blades slicing through gusty winds across Pakistan’s Sindh Province, it is easy to forget that Zephyr Power’s wind farm is just 34 miles from Pakistan’s bustling Port Qasim on the Arabian Sea.
Located along the Indus River Delta, Zephyr is one of more than three dozen independent wind farms in Pakistan’s Jhimpir-Gharo wind corridor — an arid tract of land 37 miles wide and 113 miles long where wind gusts average about 16 miles per hour.
The turbines in Jhimpir-Gharo now have an installed capacity of 1.8 gigawatts, nearly the size of the Hoover Dam in the United States. Wind provides about 3% of the country’s electricity, but in the opinion of developers and analysts, Pakistan is wasting the potential of this clean resource. Wind potential in Pakistan
Challenges Facing the Wind Industry
To support its fledgling wind industry, Pakistan must upgrade its aging transmission infrastructure, a challenge facing many countries, including the U.S. Even government backing is not enough; the country’s precarious economic situation demands creative solutions.
Pakistan entered the wind-power game late, with its first wind farm in 2009, three years after a law mandated nationwide renewable energy development. Studies identified the Jhimpir-Gharo corridor as suitable due to its desolate, non-cultivable land.
Over the past three years, Zephyr and other wind farms have had to curtail nearly half of their turbines’ potential electricity generation. The problem is not technology, but a combination of slowed national economic activity, overwhelming power-sector debt, aging infrastructure, and the challenges of integrating intermittent renewables into a fragile grid, according to Zephyr’s CEO Kumayl Khaleeli. Power market insights
Lingering Economic Slowdown
Pakistan’s industrial activity has struggled since the pandemic, with high electricity rates and reduced government spending contributing to the sector’s decline, according to the World Bank.
The power-sector debt reached $8.63 billion in March, as state-run distribution companies face revenue losses due to underutilized power plants, inefficient transmission networks, and theft. Consequently, the Central Power Purchasing Agency cannot always compensate private producers like Zephyr fully, leaving them short on cash.
Asim Javed, an independent financial and regulatory consultant, notes:
“Fossil fuel plants are fully reimbursed even when underutilized, while wind farms receive only partial payments if electricity isn’t transmitted due to bottlenecks in transmission lines.”
In FY24, wind farms dispatched only three-fourths of their projected 5.2 terawatt-hours, according to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.
Operational Challenges and Impacts
Curtailment affects both Zephyr’s revenue and turbine wear, as blades must be adjusted to operate less efficiently. Partial payments for untransmitted electricity further impact the financial viability of these projects.
Potential Solutions
The Ministry of Power is expected to announce renegotiated contracts, though unresolved transmission issues could deter future investment, warns Khaleeli:
“Don’t expect substantial investments until the government improves the transmission network and resolves issues around curtailment and energy purchase agreements.”
Experts suggest upgrading the transmission system between southern and northern regions. Rabia Babar of Renewables First notes that right-of-way issues are delaying a high-voltage line intended to transfer power efficiently.
Pakistan’s Power Minister Awais Leghari acknowledges underutilization in Sindh but cautions that transmission costs could fall on consumers. He advocates for battery storage systems and long-term privatization of the power sector, reducing government involvement as the buyer of power.
Looking Forward
Wind farms like Zephyr are pioneering clean energy in Pakistan, but realizing their full potential depends on infrastructure upgrades, financial reforms, and innovative solutions like battery storage. Addressing these challenges will be key to ensuring that the country’s wind resources can contribute effectively to its energy future. Future of renewables in Pakistan
Article / Report originally published at: Cipher News