Growth of Pakistan utility sector in progress.

AuthorXiao, Vaedy

Byline: Vaedy Xiao

According to published reports, Pakistan's National Ministry of Food Safety and Research said that the government will use various means to achieve the UN's goal of eradicating hunger by 2030 and to achieve this goal, all parties need to work together. The new government has made promoting agricultural development and access to clean drinking water a top priority. At present, the new government has begun to promote smart agricultural technology and water management systems to improve the production and living conditions of small farmers. At the same time, agricultural researchers are also stepping up efforts to address environmental issues such as climate change. To promote agricultural development, it is also necessary to introduce capital and increase investment in agriculture.

According to the Global Hunger Index, Pakistan ranks 106 out of 119 developing countries. However, Pakistan is the world's third largest producer and exporter of chickpeas, the fourth largest rice and mango producer and exporter, and the largest producer to the export of milk, sugar cane, date palm, wheat and onions.

Besides, Pakistani utility sector has also developed very much. Public utilities in Pakistan and the Asian Investment Bank recently announced that they are screening reliable suppliers for the smart meter deployment project. The first phase of the project started in June 2017 and covered three business areas of Lahore Power Supply and one business area of the Islamabad Power Supply Company. In addition to the large demand for smart meters themselves, the first phase of the project also has a large number of supporting systems and facilities, such as customer information systems and payment systems. The main reason for the deployment of smart meters is that the Pakistani government wants to improve the tax losses caused by technical deficiencies, electricity theft, and backward energy metering and charging systems as soon as possible.

The main source of funding for smart meters and smart grids in Pakistan

According to local media publications in Pakistan, Lahore Power Supply and Islamabad Power Supply jointly applied to the Asian Investment Bank for a $1.4 billion loan for the deployment and construction of smart meters and smart grid projects. As of August this year, the Asian Investment Bank has issued a loan of $810 million to the project.

Top Asia-Pacific and West Asia energy expert at the Asian Investment Bank, said that a...

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