With every passing day, Pakistan’s energy crisis is getting more complex and the overall economic situation is going from bad to worse. The energy shortfall keeps on increasing and so does the circular debt that keeps reaching new highs. Meanwhile, our over-reliance on fossil fuels continues to be our Achilles’ heel, considering that more than 60 per cent of the fuel consumed in the country is imported.

Considering that a large portion of the country’s foreign reserves is spent on importing fuel, it is both practical and necessary to shift to indigenous and renewable sources of energy.

The government should explore the feasibility of obtaining power from low BTU gas fields in Ghotki and optimise the wind corridor in Jhimpir to its utmost to save the funds spent on importing fuel. Moreover, the authorities should also emulate the practice followed by India, China and Bangladesh of supporting the indigenisation of fuel as it significantly eases the burden of buying and supplying fuel.

Usama Ghulam Rasool

Karachi