ANTALYA: Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a sustainable energy future, setting ambitious targets for clean energy transition and calling for enhanced international financing and affordable technology to help developing countries meet their climate commitments.
Addressing a high-level session titled “Clean Energy Transition by 2035: Powering the Future” on the sidelines of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) here, the prime minister outlined Pakistan’s ambitious roadmap for transitioning towards clean energy and called for enhanced international financing and affordable technology to achieve climate goals.
Prime Minister Shehbaz amid highlighting the country’s progress, said clean energy sources now accounted for nearly 55 per cent of Pakistan’s energy mix. He informed the gathering that, before travelling to Antalya, he had inaugurated a key section of Pakistan’s seventh nuclear power plant, a state-of-the-art project that would add 1,200 megawatts of clean electricity to the national grid.
Outlining his vision for a cleaner transport sector, the prime minister said the recently launched auto policy envisaged making 30 per cent of new vehicles electric by 2030, supported by incentives, including lower tariffs.
He added that all future government buses and motorcycles would be electric, noting that, for the first time, more than one in every 10 motorcycles sold in Pakistan this year was electric.
The prime minister said the transition towards clean energy was gaining momentum, but stressed that sustained financing was essential to achieve the desired targets.
He pointed out that Pakistan required approximately $138 billion by 2035 for low-carbon power generation, in addition to another $50 billion to replace coal-based power with solar energy.
Emphasising the financial constraints confronting developing countries, he said expanding power grids, ensuring reliable energy storage and making emerging technologies affordable required substantial investment, a burden that heavily indebted economies could not shoulder alone.
He called for international partners to ensure the flow of concessional financing and facilitate the transfer of affordable technologies, stressing that the ambitious clean energy targets could only be achieved through collective efforts and timely financial support.
“35 by 35 will be achieved only if finance flows at the speed of ambition through concessional capital and the transfer of affordable technology,” the prime minister said.
He urged the international community to pursue a development model that balanced economic growth with environmental protection, emphasising that countries must be able to power their economies and meet people’s energy needs without undermining the planet.
“Let us resolve to power our economies without impoverishing our people and light up our homes without darkening our planet,” he said, stressing that the promise of clean energy transition must be delivered through collective commitment and action.
The prime minister reiterated that Pakistan was determined to advance its clean energy agenda and contribute to global efforts for sustainable development and climate resilience.