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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari sought joint ventures with Kyrgyzstan in renewable energy, state-run media reported on Tuesday, amid Islamabad’s push to resolve its prolonged energy crisis through collaboration with international partners. 
Pakistan has suffered from an energy crisis that stems largely from a gap its energy supplies and electricity demand. The cash-strapped country lacks adequate resources to run its oil-and-gas powered plants and imports most of its energy needs. Similar to Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan also has large but untapped potential for renewable energy, including hydropower, solar and wind. 
According to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) 2022 yearly report, Pakistan’s total installed power generation capacity is 43,775 MW, of which 59 percent of energy comes from thermal (fossil fuels), 25 percent from hydro, 7 percent from renewable (wind, solar and biomass) and 9 percent from nuclear energy resources. 
“Talking to Ambassador Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan Avazbek Atakhanov in Islamabad, he [Leghari] emphasized the potential for joint ventures in renewable energy,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 
Leghari invited Kyrgyz investors to explore opportunities in Pakistan’s energy sector. He briefed the ambassador on the ongoing reforms being undertaken by the government in the power sector, which the minister said was aimed at improving efficiency and sustainability.
“The Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan appreciated Pakistan’s reform efforts in the energy sector and expressed his country’s willingness to collaborate in areas of mutual interest,” Radio Pakistan said. 
The Kyrgyz ambassador noted that enhanced cooperation in power infrastructure and energy connectivity would contribute to regional stability and economic growth, the state broadcaster added. 
Pakistan has been eagerly pushing to leverage its strategic position as a key trade and transit hub to connect Central Asia with global markets. Since last year, there has been a flurry of high-level visits, investment discussions and other economic engagements between Islamabad and Central Asian republics in a bid to achieve that. 
Pakistan is eagerly pursuing the CASA-1000 project, through which former Soviet republics Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, who both have an extensive network of hydroelectric power plants, will be able to sell excess energy to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the summer months.
Last month Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif undertook visits to Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan as part of Pakistan’s economic diplomacy push to enhance trade and investment with landlocked Central Asian states.
Uzbekistan is the largest consumer market and the second-biggest economy in Central Asia. It is central to Pakistan’s regional connectivity plans and was the first Central Asian nation with which Pakistani officials signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) covering 17 items.