ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) has approved the High-Level Design of Pakistan’s National Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) 2027–2060, paving the way for a 34-year roadmap aimed at ensuring reliable, affordable and accessible energy while improving coordination across the country’s energy sector.
The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) presented the High-Level Design of the National Integrated Energy Plan to the CCoE, which approved it as a key step towards developing a coordinated, long-term and cross-sectoral framework for Pakistan’s energy planning.
The National Integrated Energy Plan is designed to move Pakistan away from the traditional practice of planning individual energy subsectors separately and instead establish an integrated approach covering different energy sectors as well as federal and provincial institutions.
Under the proposed framework, energy resources, infrastructure and investments would be planned in a coordinated manner to improve their utilization and avoid fragmented decision-making.
The High-Level Design is based on four fundamental pillars — Energy, Economics, Equity and Environment — which are intended to provide a balanced framework for Pakistan’s future energy development.
The Energy pillar focuses on establishing a secure, reliable and resilient energy system while the Economics pillar seeks to promote a competitive and financially sustainable energy sector.
The Equity pillar aims to ensure an inclusive, accessible and just energy transition, whereas the Environment pillar focuses on developing a sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient energy system.
The integrated planning approach is expected to have a direct impact on consumers and the broader economy by improving coordination among federal and provincial departments and enabling more efficient use of available energy resources.
According to the framework, better coordination of energy investments and infrastructure could help avoid duplication, improve system efficiency and contribute towards reducing the overall cost of energy.
For consumers, the ultimate objective of the plan is to ensure reliable, affordable and accessible energy across the country.
The plan will also support greater utilization of indigenous energy resources, integration of renewable energy and adoption of emerging technologies, including energy storage, while reducing reliance on costly imported energy where economically and technically viable.
The long-term framework also seeks to ensure that Pakistan’s future energy development remains aligned with environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
The approval of the High-Level Design by the CCoE represents the first major step towards formulation of the National Integrated Energy Plan 2027–2060, which is expected to provide Pakistan with a long-term roadmap for energy security, economic sustainability, equity and environmental responsibility.
