On 2 October 2025 a roundtable convened in Islamabad co-organized by the U.S.–Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), NUST and Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar to accelerate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa renewables and tackle the province’s energy challenges.
Prof. Dr. Arshad Ali, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology at SUIT, opened the session with welcome remarks highlighting the urgent energy shortfall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the need for collaborative approaches across government, academia and industry to secure reliable power for communities.
Dr. Majid Ali, Associate Professor at USPCAS-E NUST, in his opening comments underlined the vast renewable energy potential of the province and emphasized USPCAS-E’s role in driving research, innovation and academia‑industry collaboration to translate that potential into practical projects.
Mr. Syed Aziz Ahmed, Chief Engineer Renewable Energy at the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization, outlined the province’s renewable portfolio of nearly 8,000 MW and noted that 356 mini and micro hydropower projects have already been completed, demonstrating local capacity in run‑of‑river generation.
Engr. Umer Iftikhar, Manager T&D Planning MIRAD PESCO, described operational constraints including high technical losses, staffing shortages and transformer stress that are limiting the distribution system’s ability to integrate more distributed renewables and storage solutions.
The moderated panel, led by Dr. Majid Ali, brought together experts and stakeholders including Dr. Muhammad Abid Saeeed of SUIT, Engr. Safdar Hayat and Ms. Ayesha Wadood from PEDO, Dr. Muhammad Noman from USPCAS-E UET, Engr. Sardar Muhammad Fahad of NGC and Engr. Muhammad Iqbal from SUIT. Discussion focused on financing models for renewable energy storage with participants exploring industrial, community‑based and public‑private partnership approaches to fund batteries, pumped storage and hybrid mini‑grid schemes.
Organisers extended gratitude to Prof. Dr. Adeel Waqas, Principal USPCAS‑E NUST, Mr. Malak ud Din (DD Administration), and Mr. Bilal Mehmood Bhutta (ILO) for their support, and acknowledged USPCAS‑E faculty Dr. Rabia Liaquat, Dr. Nadia Shahzad, Dr. Kashif Imran and Dr. Mustafa Anwar for their contributions. Special thanks were given to Ms. Manal Arshad, Senior Assistant Manager Program and Marketing Coordination, while the event was managed by Mr. Muhammad Zeeshan Shabbir as master of ceremony and a supporting team that ensured a smooth programme.
Participants agreed to follow up with collaborative pilot projects, joint research and targeted financing studies to scale storage and distributed generation across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reinforcing momentum for lasting progress in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa renewables.
