To address massive power distribution and transmission losses, Chinese firms are keen to provide Pakistan with Smart Grid Technology (SGT).
Zou Shinjie, representative of Anhui Tianying Group while speaking in a session titled ‘Energy-Smart Gird and Remapping the T&D System of Pakistan’ organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute’s (SPDI) disclosed this interest.
Shinjie said that sustainable power supply is a key to economic growth, adding that in China for one per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, three per cent increase is power generation is required.
He said that SGT ensures distribution and transmission losses and Chinese companies have devised state-of-the-art equipment in this connection. He added that only China and Japan are using the technology at present and Pakistan could become the third Asian and first South Asian country using the technology.
By using smart grids, environment friendly transport of power can be ensured, he said.
While describing the effectiveness of the smart grid, Wang Nan, another Chinese delegate, said that they have incorporated the latest technology in it which minimizes the risk for human and capital loss.
MA Lin, the CEO of Tianye Group Co showed interest for investing in Pakistan and regarded it as a great opportunity to introduce their products in Pakistan.
MA Jaffar, Chairman SITE Association of Industry speaking on the occasion said that smart grid technology by Chinese companies can help Pakistan reduce the line losses. All the investments can easily be recovered within one and a half years if efficient and cost effective technologies like smart grids are utilised.
Arshad Abbasi, Advisor on Water and Renewable Energy of SDPI said, “We need multiple solutions for power transmission while reducing our carbon emissions and energy losses.” He added that such innovative solutions can increase the economic viability of the country.
At another session titled ‘Sustainable Development Goals, Opportunities and Challenges for Health Sector – The Importance of Data,’ the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Neil Buhne said that one of repercussions of lacking the monitoring data leads to the continuation of bad programs. He said that the biggest issue with respect to data is quality of data along with its open access.
Dr Peter Taylor of International Development Research Centre, Canada, said that all SDGs are interlinked. He highlighted that the use of data by the policymakers is also a point of concern.
Dr Mahbub Elahi Chowdhury of Health Systems and Population Studies Division, Dhaka, said that in order to maximise the acceptance of data by the policymakers, there is a need to institutionalise the data collected by the private sector.
Dr Najma Afzal Khan of Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal, Faisalabad, highlighted the importance of the robust monitoring system in Pakistan with respect to attainment of SDGs. She suggested that inter-sectorial linkages are required to improve data collection.
Dr Rajendra Kumar of Nepal Public Health Foundation said Nepal lags behind achieving SDGs since a lot of efforts as well as budget are spent on tackling the natural disaster. Addressing the issue of data reliability and its acceptance by the government organisations, he said that data collection organisations should develop the sense of ownership among the policymakers by involving them in the process from the very beginning.
Dr Sajjad Akhtar of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said that there is a weak linkage between policy and data use that is required to be addressed. He stressed the need for centralisation as Pakistan is dealing with multiple sources and by different provinces that have different timelines and frequency regarding data collection.
Sadia Razzaq of SDPI said that collaborative efforts are required among different organisation to minimise the duplication of efforts and for effective data utilisation. She informed the participants that SPDI has created a data portal for researchers and policymakers to use it as per their needs.
