Pakistan has moved beyond its previous electricity generation shortage, according to Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari. The country now faces a different challenge as solar power expands rapidly. The government needs stronger battery storage and grid flexibility to manage excess daytime solar generation. These systems can also help meet higher electricity demand during evening hours.
Pakistan Faces a Grid Flexibility Challenge
“Let me be very direct about where we stand. Pakistan does not have a generation problem anymore… What we have is a flexibility problem. The inability to move abundant midday solar energy into the evening peak,” Leghari said.
He made the remarks while addressing the Solar Storage Flexibility 2026 conference in Islamabad. According to the minister, Pakistan must improve its ability to shift electricity between different periods of the day.
Solar generation can produce substantial electricity during daylight hours. However, demand often increases later in the evening when solar output falls.
Battery storage could help bridge this gap. It can store excess daytime electricity and release it when demand rises.
Global Fuel Risks Highlight Need for Storage
Leghari also pointed to international energy market risks. He said the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States has highlighted the impact of global events on energy markets.
“Oil price volatility, shipping risk through the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty in the global fuel markets are not abstract concerns for policymakers in Washington or Riyadh.
“For a country like Pakistan, which still imports the bulk of the fuel that runs a large share of our thermal fleet, they are a direct threat to our fiscal stability and our people’s cost of living.”
Pakistan experienced these vulnerabilities in April when disruptions affected RLNG supplies from Qatar. The country faced nighttime load shedding while solar generation provided sufficient daytime electricity.
Renewables Reach 55% of Electricity Mix
Leghari said renewable sources now account for 55% of Pakistan’s electricity mix. The government aims to increase clean energy’s share to 90% by 2035.
“Battery storage allows the grid operators the necessary flexibility to integrate a high share of renewables through the various use cases it offers. Put simply, without storage our solar success risks becoming a curtailment problem. With storage it becomes a national asset,” he said.
Pakistan Plans Local Battery Manufacturing
The government also wants Pakistan to develop local battery manufacturing rather than relying only on imported systems.
Leghari said the Ministry of Industries is preparing a policy to encourage domestic battery production. The government expects to finalise the policy soon.
“We have established a National Steering Committee on Battery Energy Storage Systems, bringing together the regulators, the transmission and distribution companies and technical experts to give the sector coordinated national direction,” he said.
The strategy could support local manufacturing while strengthening Pakistan’s ability to manage renewable electricity. Battery storage may therefore become central to the country’s transition toward a cleaner and more flexible power system.
