The speakers at a consultative meeting held here by the SDPI on Tuesday underscored the need for timely transitioning of the country’s energy mix over clean and green renewable power solutions of solar and hydropower for a sustainable future amid a strategic position to be maintained at the global forums negotiating on clean energy shift.
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) organized a consultation session with senators and leadership of different political parties to mull over the country’s challenges and opportunities to shift over clean energy for a sustainable future in the prevailing testing times of economic turmoil.
The discussion was participated by Senators Musadik Malik, Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi, Farah Naz, Seemi Ezdi, whereas former MNA Shahida Akhtar Ali and former SAPM Malik Amin Aslam were also present.
Senator Musadik Masood Malik of PML-N said the country’s local energy resources, gas, and production are declining and its precious foreign exchange is burdened with the heavy import bills of oil and gas.
In the middle of these economically unsuitable conditions, there is an elite capture in the energy sector that consumes one-third of the total gas produced for manufacturing of fertilizer whereas the decision was made to provide subsidized fertilizer to the farmers.
Malik underlined that the cheapest energy produced from gas is diverted to fertilizer companies through the maneuvering of the elite capture which diverts the highly expensive electricity tariff to the poor who are voiceless.
