Overview
- ADB Country Director Emma Fan and Economic Affairs Secretary Muhammad Humair Karim signed two agreements totaling $730 million, splitting $330 million for transmission and $400 million for an SOE transformation programme.
- The transmission project is designed to evacuate 2,300 MW from upcoming hydropower plants, relieve overloaded lines, and strengthen grid resilience under contingency conditions.
- The SOE programme targets compliance with the SOE Act 2023 and SOE Policy 2023 and initially prioritizes improvements at the National Highway Authority.
- Officials pledged effective utilisation and timely completion, as ADB’s broader engagement this year included funding for distribution upgrades and a new Islamabad–Faisalabad transmission link.
- Separately, ADB and Sindh officials discussed a $2 billion multisector pipeline, while analysts warned that durable gains require tackling persistent SOE and power distribution inefficiencies.