Areas of cooperation
- Long-term energy planning
- Flexibility and integration of renewable energy
- Energy efficiency in industry
With 250+ million inhabitants – expected to grow to 450 million by 2050 – Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world. Furthermore, Pakistan is one of the top ten worst-affected countries by climate change.
Expanding electricity production to meet rising demand and reduce nationwide blackouts is a key to promoting social and economic development in Pakistan as well as preventing climate migration.
Pakistan’s energy transition – and how Danish experiences can contribute
Pakistan has significant green energy ambitions, and has adopted policies to achieve them; however, the country also has remarkable technical challenges leading to nationwide power outages. Today, the energy sector is Pakistan’s largest contributor of emissions and the country has one of the largest coal reserves in the world, which would be environmentally detrimental if utilized for energy production.
The Danish experience on long-term integrated planning of generation and transmission expansion and energy efficiency can provide valuable insight into improving the long-term power planning landscape of Pakistan.
Denmark's power sector has evolved from a centralized power system of the 1980s with few central power plants to a present decentralized power sector with more distributed renewable energy generation. The Danish transmission network has been expanded to accommodate distributed renewable energy generation and ensure increasing connectivity with the rest of Europe, while maintaining an energy efficient and sustainable energy system with high system security and reliability. Sharing such experience from a long-term perspective of power planning can help to address the present infrastructure challenges in Pakistan.
Denmark and Pakistan have cooperated on the green energy transition since 2021. First in the form of Danish Energy Transition Initiative (DETI) program and then as Strategic Sector Collaboration (SSC) from 2026. The programme is implemented in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pakistani Ministry of Energy (Power Division) as well as relevant energy authorities and stakeholders in the energy sector in Pakistan.