Pakistan is a densely populated country of around 200 million people, of which 51 million have limited access to electricity, while a further 90 million have unreliable power supply – with a nationwide average of 6 hours of load-shedding per day.

Pakistan’s energy access crisis has significantly stunted the country’s economic progress and reflects a severe under-utilisation of its natural resources. In 2017, Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) reported that just 7,320 MW of the country’s 60 GW of hydro power potential has been deployed. Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, where InfraCo Asia’s project will be based, alone boasts 24GW of hydro power potential.

At present, renewable energy derived from hydro power projects in Pakistan can only be attributed to small hydro power developments, with most projects being funded and developed by provincial and federal government initiatives. Private sector participation in the development of small to medium-size hydro power projects has thus far been limited, due to high-risk perceptions of the sector.

Through the Swat KPK Hydro Power Platform, InfraCo Asia draws on its development and financing expertise, as well as its experience in developing hydro power projects in the region, to demonstrate that small to medium-size hydro power projects can be developed at scale in Pakistan, as commercially viable and bankable assets.

The Swat KPK Hydro Power Platform aims to introduce much needed access to private sector capital, for small to medium-size hydro power developments in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. The hydro power projects that will be part of the Platform are expected to improve living conditions and access to economic opportunity in one of the most remote, underdeveloped and impoverished regions in Pakistan.

InfraCo Asia’s involvement is instrumental in ensuring that the projects are developed to international standards in terms of environment, health and safety, and quality. Upon completion of up to four small to medium-size (less than 100 MW) hydro power projects under the Swat KPK Hydro Power Platform, it is expected that over 1,000,000 people will benefit from improved access to affordable and reliable energy in Pakistan.

Through the Platform, InfraCo Asia aims to pave the way for greater private sector involvement in Pakistan’s nascent hydro power sector and drive the development of its renewables sector. This is in order to help realise Pakistan’s vast hydro power potential, contribute to the development of its energy infrastructure and spur progress towards energy security for the country.