KARACHI: A hybrid seminar titled “Navigating Pakistan’s Green Hydrogen Economy,” hosted by Renewables First, brought together leading domestic and international industry leaders from the public, private, and think-tank sectors.
The insightful discussions focused on the strategic applications of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives, aiming to chart a course for their integration into Pakistan’s future energy landscape.
Putra Adhiguna, the Managing Director of the Energy Shift Institute in Indonesia, emphasised the need to prioritise specific sectors for the deployment of Green Hydrogen.
He underscored the importance of discerning priority areas where Green Hydrogen could serve as the primary energy source, cautioning against a broad-brush approach encompassing all potential use cases.
Adhiguna highlighted the existing uncertainties surrounding the future of Green Hydrogen and stressed the significance of targeted applications in industrial and hard-to-abate sectors.
Caroline Paul, a Project Officer at Agora Industry in Germany, drew attention to the fertiliser industry as a prime sector for Green Hydrogen applications. She pointed out that Green Ammonia could play a pivotal role in the primary energy mix, but its successful integration would require robust policy support, market development initiatives, financial backing, and increased demand for green fuels. Building on it, Muhammad Basit Ghauri, from Renewables First, emphasised the critical need for alternative cleaner fuels in Pakistan, particularly in addressing the vulnerability of the country to RLNG supplies and dwindling natural gas resources, leading to potential food security issues.
Representing the needs of private developers,
Naheed Memon, CEO of Oracle Power, who has undertaken a Green Hydrogen project in Pakistan of 1.3 GW Hybrid renewables, outlined various opportunities and challenges specific to Pakistan. She noted the country’s advantageous position with low-cost renewables, making it highly competitive in the export market for Green Hydrogen and its derivatives. However, she highlighted challenges such as the green premium associated with low-carbon fuels and the difficulty in accessing financing for such projects. Memon emphasized the need for Green Hydrogen projects to operate at scale, as pilot projects may face challenges in terms of bankability.
Afaf Ali, from Renewables First, presented a comprehensive study on Green Hydrogen insights for Pakistan. She highlighted the country’s advantageous position, with the levellised cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) expected to reach as low as USD 2 per kg in coastal areas under the right macroeconomic conditions and forecasts. Mr. Inayatullah, Chief of Energy wing at the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI) acknowledging the importance of this information, suggested the integration of Green Hydrogen into future iterations of Pakistan’s Integrated Energy Plan.
Presenting the findings of a recent study by NEECA, Muhammad Zeeshan Ghias also pegged the deployment of such projects in Pakistan subjected to considerable cost reduction in the future.
Industry experts also explored the potential of leveraging carbon market instruments, such as International Transferable Mitigation Outcome (ITMO) credits, to enhance the bankability of Green Hydrogen projects.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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