U.S. Mission to Pakistan’s Coordinator for Economic and Development Assistance Leon Waskin joined NEPRA Chairman  Brig. (Rtd.) Tariq Saddozai at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday to commemorate the successful completion of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Power Distribution Program.  The five-year, $218 million project is a part of the U.S. government’s commitment to support the Government of Pakistan to improve the energy sector.  The Program introduced several innovative technologies to Pakistan, such as smarter meters and anti-theft cables, which are helping power distribution companies reduce losses and increase revenues.

 

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Waskin said, “The U.S. Government remains committed to working with Pakistan towards a continuous, stable energy supply and a brighter, more prosperous future.”

 

The Program introduced a number of modern technologies to upgrade Pakistan’s electric power distribution network.  As a result, Pakistan’s power distribution companies have increased annual revenues by more than $400 million and saved over 200 megawatts of energy, enough to supply power to about three million people.

 

From 2010 to 2015, the program trained more than 32,000 energy sector specialists, installed state-of-the-art systems to monitor and control of power flow, improved consumer billing systems, and introduced international best practices.  The Program also installed nearly 90,000 capacitors on agricultural pumps to reduce electrical losses, replaced 260,000 meters of distribution system wires, and provided a variety of other equipment to upgrade the distribution system.

 

For more information on U.S. assistance to Pakistan’s energy sector, please visit: (http://www.usaid.gov/pakistan/energy).