SDPI unveils battery storage roadmap as Fauji Cement plans 50 MWh
A study by SDPI and NCET calls for grid-scale battery systems, while Fauji Cement announces 50 MWh storage and 10 MW solar at two plants.
ISLAMABAD: A study launched in Islamabad on Monday says Pakistan should deploy grid-scale battery energy storage systems at carefully selected locations to reduce strain on the national grid. The report, titled “Optimal Siting of Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Pakistan,” was prepared by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and the Network for Clean Energy Transition, Dawn reported.
The study argues that structured deployment of battery storage technology could help ease Pakistan's escalating power grid challenges. It presents a data-driven national roadmap for where such systems should be built.
Separately, Fauji Cement Company Limited told the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Tuesday that its board had approved, through a resolution by circulation, the installation of battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 50 MWh and dedicated solar power capacity of 10 MW at two plants. According to the notice, each plant, Nizampur and Jhang Bahtar, will receive a 25 MWh battery storage system and a 5 MW solar setup.
The company said the project is expected to be completed within 10 months of its start date. It will store solar energy generated during the day in the batteries and discharge it during evening peak hours, reducing the plants' reliance on grid electricity, cutting energy costs and expanding renewable energy use.
Fauji Cement added that in the last financial year it expanded its solar capacity to 67.5 MW, covering 90 percent of its packaging needs. The company was incorporated in 1992 and manufactures various types of cement.
The announcements come amid a broader shift toward alternative energy in Pakistan. Solar energy, in particular, has become increasingly popular among residential and commercial sectors. Pakistan relies heavily on imported oil and liquefied natural gas, leaving it exposed to global price swings. Recent fuel supply disruptions linked to the US-Iran conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have pushed the government to seek alternative sources and impose austerity measures, Business Recorder noted.
ECP sets ward delimitation for Quetta and Kharian cantonment boards
Quetta moves from Class-II to Class-I and Kharian from Class-III to Class-II, with 10 wards fixed in Quetta and five in Kharian under notifications issued on 29 October.
Information ministry blames Kabul inaction for strained Pakistan-Afghanistan ties
The ministry rejected a Taliban spokesperson's account of the dispute, saying cross-border militancy remains the biggest obstacle to normal relations between the neighbours.
Tarar proposes national council on cyber security and digital literacy
The information minister used the PTA's Cyber Security Awareness Week to float a coordinating body and to call for digital literacy in school curricula.
Health minister says barcode scan will flag fake medicines from November
Mustafa Kamal told the National Assembly that hospitals will also have to buy all vaccines from Pakistan's own funds by 2030, at a cost of about $1.2 billion.