Energy Access Assessment of Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan’s energy demand has increased significantly over the years due to the increase in population and modern development. The overreliance on fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, to satisfy the country’s energy demand has not been an effective option and has caused an energy shortage in the country. To meet the country's energy demand, Pakistan has turned to the import of energy resources such as oil and natural gas, with one-third of the country’s energy demand being met through imported energy resources. The country’s renewable energy potential can be used to address its energy shortage, but over the years, very few efforts have been made to improve its contribution to the country’s energy scenario. Despite a combined potential of 349 GW, solar and wind do not have a significant contribution to the country’s energy supply. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the energy access assessment for Pakistan by using energy poverty and sustainability assessment. The energy poverty assessment conducted in this paper revealed that more than a quarter of Pakistan’s population does not have electricity access while the sustainability assessment showed that hydro energy is the most sustainable energy supply option in the country.

Keywords: Sustainable energy assessment, Energy access, Renewable energy