Pak-German agreement inked for promotion of renewable energy’

Islamabad:The Government of Federal Republic of Germany shares a cordial relationship in development cooperation with the Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan (GoP) for over 60 years. Germany has proven to be a key partner in supporting the GoP to achieve its national priority policies since the 1960s in different development sectors. Based on the energy sector's long-lasting cooperation, a new implementation agreement between GIZ Pakistan and the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) has been signed today at the Ministry of Energy (Power Division). Under the agreement, GIZ Pakistan will implement “Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Concepts in Cities and Industry (REEE SCALE) Project. It will assist the Ministry of Energy, (Power Division) and its apex organisation, National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA) to achieve its national energy efficiency targets.

Under this agreement, GIZ Pakistan will implement a 3.5-year technical cooperation project commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The objective of this project is to demonstrate the functioning of the municipal energy management system in Pakistan.

The project aims to intermix energy efficiency into the processes and workflows of municipal administrations and public institutions responsible for municipal services. This project will implement the Energy Management System (EMS) based on ISO 50001 standards, which will mainstream energy-relevant tasks and processes in relevant departments of the partner institutions in selected cities. EMS is a systematic approach for achieving energy efficiency measures that will help to reduce energy consumption and ultimately lower the operational costs and carbon footprints.

The Secretary Ministry of Energy, Power Division, Ali Raza Bhutta and Tobias Becker, Country Director GIZ Pakistan exchanged the mementos and reiterated the commitment to strengthen the cooperation further. Managing Director NEECA, Dr. Sardar Mohazzam and Mohammad Irshad Khan, Project Manager – REEE SCALE among other notables attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary, Ali Raza Bhutta said Pakistan and Germany enjoy 70 years of mutual cooperation for sustainable development. This project will further help to learn from the experiences of Germany in making our cities sustainable and eco-friendly. I must say, it would produce transformative results to operationalize energy efficiency in Pakistan’s building sector.

Tobias Becker said: “This initiative will enable city administrations to monitor electricity, gas and water meters. It will further assist the city administration authorities in frequently performing self-diagnostic and optimization routines, reducing the consumption, and saving. The savings will be used for the prosperity of the local citizens.”