Embassy of the United States

Press Releases 2007

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) signed two grants with Pakistan that are part of a $1.4 million package supporting President George W. Bush’s commitment to Pakistan’s economic development.

USTDA Awards Grants To Pakistan’s Power Sector

Islamabad – The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) on Monday signed two grants with Pakistan that are part of a $1.4 million package supporting President George W. Bush’s commitment to Pakistan’s economic development under the U.S.-Pakistan Energy Discussions framework.

“These grants are concrete expressions of our commitment to Pakistan’s economic development under the U.S.-Pakistan Energy Discussions framework,” the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson said in her remarks on the occasion.

The first grant of $325,000 to the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) will assist Pakistan in developing new electric power supplies through a detailed evaluation of a five to ten megawatt waste-to-energy power plant near Karachi. The second agreement grants $263,000 to Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). The funds will support a review of renewable energy projects and recommending tariff-setting procedures, and changes to the legal framework of the renewable energy sector. Additional agreements for the remaining amount will be signed in Washington, D.C. later this year.

Ambassador Patterson signed both grant agreements on behalf of the USTDA, with the Chairman of Alternative Energy Development Board, Air Marshal (Retd) Shahid Hamid and NEPRA Chairman, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Saeed uz Zafar (H.I) M., respectively.

“Pakistan’s electricity market is expected to grow at about 7.5 to 10 per cent per year over the next 15 years as the country’s robust economy expands. We applaud the Government of Pakistan’s decision to use indigenous renewable energy sources such as water, wind, municipal solid waste, and other renewable sources,” the Ambassador said.

Implementation of these power projects will assist Pakistan in meeting the growing demand for power and will enhance the nation’s energy security.

These grants support the renewable energy priorities of the U.S.-Pakistan Energy Discussions, which President George W. Bush and President Pervez Musharraf launched during President Bush’s visit to Pakistan in March 2006.