Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister inherits $5 billion in energy debt

Now that the election in Pakistan is finally finished, Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif can begin to tackle the nation’s dismal energy situation. Just in time, too – with summer approaching, the country is heating up to temperatures as high as 50C, or 122F. Talk about sweltering! As a result, Pakistanis are cranking their air conditioners up, creating sweeping power outages and adding to an already staggering debt.

The power outages have ignited protests across Pakistan. In some areas, blackouts last as long as 18 hours a day! Last summer, the country’s power deficit hit 6,000 megawatts during high-demand periods. Not an easy fix for the new Prime Minister.

According to Zafar Iqbal Sobani, former chief executive officer of Hub Power, Pakistan’s second-largest power supplier, “Sharif’s Muslim League won the election because the previous government failed to deliver on the energy front.”

Pakistan’s power plants have the ability to produce approximately 14,500 megawatts a day, which could satisfy the country’s demand, if only they could afford the cost of the foreign oil and gas they need to burn.

Even when the lights are on, companies like Hub Power are struggling to collect on their customers’ debts. The country’s overall energy sector is burdened with $5 billion in outstanding debt. Delayed payment to foreign fuel suppliers, not to mention theft by people tapping into the power lines illegally, threaten to collapse the entire system.

Rolling blackouts have bogged down Pakistan’s $210 billion economy, cutting two percentage points off growth each fiscal year. The textile industry, which accounts for 54% of the country’s overall exports and employs 38% of the ‘blue-collar’ labor force, has been hit the hardest. Nawaz Sharif has been quoted telling party supporters that the energy crisis “has made the people miserable.”

Imagine if Pakistan’s textile factories could run on clean, low-cost electricity without the support of a third-party energy supplier. Well, NRGLab did, and what resulted was the SH-Box.

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[ ana shell, Nawaz Sharif, energy sector, energy, Prime Minister Pakistan, nrglab сингапур, pakistan, sh-box, Zafar Iqbal Sobani, nrglab ]

Too high a price for universal energy? Millions without power don’t think so

Did you know that in today’s technology-driven age, millions of people still live without regular access to fuel or electricity? That means they can’t heat their homes in the winter. They can’t cook, or keep their food refrigerated. While the rest of the world advances by leaps and bounds, these people are left to fend for themselves.

According to a paper recently published by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, it would cost an estimated $65 billion and take two decades to construct a universal energy grid. The price tag includes power generation, grid expansion and maintenance, and grants for clean-burning stove. These stoves would benefit the more than 40% of people without them and reduce accidental fatalities by up to 1.8 million, the study claims.

So are the lives of millions worth $65 billion?

Shonali Pachauri, co-author of the paper, seems to think so. “The scale of investment required is small from a global perspective,” she says. “Without new policies and efforts, universal access to modern energy will not be achieved by 2030. Actually, for cooking, the situation may even worsen…”

Pachauri is right. $65 billion equates to less than 4% of current investments in the energy sector. So we don’t need to be investing MORE—we need to be investing SMARTER.

Participating in one of NRGLab’s many energy projects may just be the shrewdest financial move you’ve ever made.

NRGLab has developed a way to increase the efficiency of gas turbine generators. With the patent-pending “Eco-SV” Method, turbines achieve electrical efficiency levels between 53 and 72%. Compare this to the efficiency of most other turbines, which are lucky to register 35%.

A joint-venture with Viscoil Holdings involves recycling waste materials into useable fuel. NRGLab possesses exclusive rights to this technology for all of Southeast Asia. Coal is scheduled to be recycled in Indonesia. Engine oil in Malaysia. Agricultural byproduct in Singapore and Malaysia. In Singapore, for instance, NRGLab is able to recycle 2,000 tons of waste on a daily basis into 800 m3 of fuel! Imagine the possibilities this holds for the millions without access to power...

NRGLab is in the business of changing lives. If you’re interested in opportunities, contact us by visiting www.nrglab.asia.

[ ana shell, energy, gas turbines, GE, nrglab, nrglab pte ltd, nrglab singapore, nrglab сингапур, pakistan, research council, sh-box, Siemens, STIG, Verizon]