The 6Th Pakistan Energy Forum 2014 (formerly Pakistan Oil & Gas Country Forum) organized by SHAMROCK Conferences International (www.shamrockconferences.net) concluded today with recommendation for a one-window National Energy Authority and experts demanding good governance and renewed activity in exploration & production, power and alternate sources to address energy issues in Pakistan.
In the keynote session, Mr. Mumtaz Hasan Khan, Chairman Hascol Group and a member of the ‘Integrated Energy Plan 2009-2022’ shared key decisions of the plan, including reliance on indigenous resources as a future option; and also recommended a national energy authority to take up all issues of energy production. He added that the time was ripe to get the revised plan underway in right earnest.
Earlier, Honorable Jam Kamal Khan, Minister of State, Petroleum & Natural Resources while inaugurating the annual moot said the government was determined to fast-track projects in all provinces of the country to meet the challenges of electricity. He emphasized on better planning, change and efficiency as a stimulus and invited foreign direct investment in the energy sector, assuring the government’s support in facilitating ventures.
In his welcome address, Mr. Menin Rodrigues, Chairman of the 6TH Pakistan Energy Forum 2014 urged the participants to recommend practical measures, advised key stake holders to collectively make a concerted effort to address the issue and hoped that a strong political and good governance will assure a better tomorrow for the people of Pakistan.
The first session focusing on exploration and production activities in the oil and gas sector was chaired by Dr. Gulfaraz Ahmed, in which Dr. Saeed Jadoon, OGDCL and Mr. Anwer Moin, CEO, Ocean Petroleum Limited reiterated the need for a committed effort by the government and the need for the concentrated exploration program. The current government has reignited E&P activity by issuing licenses for 50 new exploration blocks, including off-shore drilling, which would be a revolution to come, they added. The panel opined that all short-term measures be expedited to bridge the gap between supply and demand.
The session on ‘alternate sources of energy’ chaired by prominent physicist Dr. A.H. Nayyar came up with a meaningful dialogue on renewal energy options for Pakistan and how this source of energy made up for the energy needs of several developed countries of the world. The panelists in this session included, Dr. Basharat Hasan, DG, Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) and Syed Imran Shah, Project Manager, FFC Energy Limited. The panel concluded that the government should encourage indigenous production, thereby creating industries within the society.
The power sector session was chaired by Mr. Abdullah Yusuf, Chairman of the Independent Power Producers Advisory Council and included discussions on how to meet challenges to tackle crippling power shortages in the country. The panel which included Mr. Athar Ghulam, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC); Mr. Mohammad Saquib, CFO, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company; Mr. N.A. Zuberi, Executive Director, Private Power & infrastructure Board (PPIB) and Mr. Aftab Mehmood Butt, CEO, Kot Addu Power Company (KAPCO), concluded that any future planning on energy must be practical and pragmatic, and core issues must be addressed.
The last session on Investment in the energy sector included government officials and prominent opinion makers from the Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhthunkhwa (KP) provinces. The panelists which included Mr. Murad Ali Shah, Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh; Mr. Razi Uddin, CEO, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil & Gas Company; Mr. Anwar ul Haq, Director, Energy Investment, Punjab Board of Investment (PBIT) and Sardar Shaukat Aziz Popalzai, President, Balochistan Economic Forum; concluded that all four provinces have huge projects in the pipeline, and investment in this sector was forthcoming. However, it was also opined that investors were shy not for security reasons but issues of sovereignty of contracts. Ease of doing business in Pakistan was a critical point which must be addressed, they added.
A large number of delegates from the ministries, regulatory bodies, senior executives in the respective sectors and diplomatic missions, development and donor agencies, attended the conference.
State Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal Khan inaugurating the 6th Pakistan Energy Forum 2014, which concluded in Islamabad on Thursday