ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday sought fresh investment from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for a major north-south electricity transmission corridor aimed at moving surplus low-cost power from the country’s south to energy-starved northern regions.
Federal Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari made the pitch during talks with a high-level AIIB delegation led by Konstantin Limitovskiy in Islamabad, as Pakistan pushes to modernise its grid and unlock stranded generation capacity.
“The availability of relatively low-cost electricity in the southern part of the country has created significant investment opportunities in North-South transmission infrastructure to ensure efficient transfer of electricity to northern regions,” Leghari said.
The discussions focused on addressing Pakistan’s geographic power imbalance, where excess generation capacity in southern areas remains underutilised while demand continues to rise in the north. The government urged the AIIB to help finance high-voltage transmission lines to improve nationwide electricity flow and grid efficiency.
Leghari also briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s digitalisation drive in the power sector, including the phased rollout of around 10 million Advanced Metering Infrastructure meters. About 1.5 million smart meters are already operational, officials said. Battery Energy Storage Systems were also discussed as part of the government’s broader energy modernisation strategy.
AIIB officials said the bank’s technical teams are actively evaluating renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure and transmission projects in Pakistan, with potential investments worth $100 million to $150 million already under consideration.
