Pakistan could soon address its escalating power grid challenges by deploying battery storage technology in a structured way, according to a study launched by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Network for Clean Energy Transition (NCET). The study, titled “Optimal Siting of Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Pakistan,” presents a data-driven national roadmap for where large-scale battery storage should be deployed across the national grid, advocating the technology as a way to alleviate transmission bottlenecks and reduce renewable energy curtailment. Experts, regulators, and researchers gathered to discuss how BESS can enhance grid flexibility, integrate Variable Renewable Energy (VRE), and address the operational strains that Pakistan’s rapid rooftop solar expansion has placed on the national grid.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Kashif Imran, a Professor at the US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) at NUST, said the study offered valuable insight into optimal BESS siting but highlighted ongoing confusion within the sector about actual deployment. He called for a three-tier approach to support investors and noted that while the study was transmission-focused, it was conducted with limited available data, underscoring the need to harness data analytics more effectively going forward. Dr Imran added that BESS could also help reduce transmission losses and address voltage fluctuations, though he cautioned that since storage is not available round the clock, its applications need to be combined strategically to meet specific grid needs rather than treated as a universal fix.
Presenting the study’s findings, Muhammad Umer, Research Associate at SDPI, said Pakistan’s power sector continues to face persistent Energy Not Served (ENS) losses amounting to 2.77 GWh, framing the scale of the problem the siting framework is meant to help address. He said the study focused on four core objectives: developing a data-driven siting framework for BESS, mitigating congestion and curtailment, building a business case aligned with CPEC 2.0 investment, and formulating a policy and regulatory roadmap. The research included a preliminary network-wide screening of the National Grid Company’s 500 kV and 220 kV grid stations, using a ranking-based methodology to assess and compare candidate sites, including Shikarpur, Faisalabad, Dadu, and Rawat, based on technical and locational parameters.
Umer called for mandating BESS modelling in the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP), integrating BESS into Transmission System Expansion Planning (TSEP) cycles, adopting bottom-up forecasting, and establishing a formal national BESS deployment roadmap. The study adds to a growing body of research and policy attention on battery storage in Pakistan over the past year, following Power Minister Awais Leghari’s earlier remarks framing BESS as central to Pakistan’s energy transition and his more recent comments on developing a virtual grid system allowing consumers to generate and store their own electricity. With NTDC having already opened a tender for the country’s first grid-scale BESS pilot near Jhimpir and battery imports climbing sharply amid falling solar component prices, SDPI’s siting framework offers a more systematic basis for deciding where future grid-scale storage investment should be concentrated as Pakistan’s broader BESS policy continues taking shape.
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