ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expanding its energy infrastructure with a railway project connecting Thar’s coal mines to Port Qasim by December 2025 and a nearly $500 million, 1,000MW battery storage initiative in the south to harness wind energy and stabilize the grid.
Talks with global lenders are ongoing to secure funding for the project.
Secretary Power Division Fakhar Alam Irfan told a parliamentary panel that work on the railway linking Thar coal mines to Port Qasim is in progress and will be completed by December 2025. The 105km rail network, overseen by the federal and Sindh governments, aims to enhance energy security by reducing reliance on expensive fuel imports.
The government is discussing the battery storage project with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Islamic Development Bank. The initiative is expected to improve power grid stability and optimize renewable energy use.
Briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Power, Fakhar Alam said the ministry is seeking Rs79 billion in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2025-26 for four major projects. These include the 1,000MW battery storage initiative and three transmission lines—Ghazi Barotha, North-South, and Karachi to central Punjab.
