Pakistan launches real time Dashboard to boost local power manufacturing

The National Grid Company (NGC), formerly NTDC, has launched the country’s first Power Equipment Manufacturing Dashboard. It is a real-time digital tool developed under the Power Sector Indigenisation Plan (PSIP).

The initiative was unveiled at the National Consultative Workshop on the Power Sector Indigenisation Roadmap, held in Lahore in collaboration with the LUMS Energy Institute.

What does the Dashboard do?

The dashboard is designed to track localisation efforts, evaluate vendor performance, and identify investment prospects in real time. It marks a crucial milestone for NGC, becoming the first national entity to implement an approved Indigenisation Policy.

According to Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, who addressed the event via video link,

“NGC is the first national entity to implement an approved Indigenisation Policy, and its strategic procurement model is already delivering tangible results.”

Leghari stressed that indigenisation must be seen not as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) but as an essential procurement approach aligned with the National Electricity Plan 2023–27.

“We are working on providing electricity at a marginal cost to boost exports,” he said, adding that the government is finalising a plan to deliver 7,000 megawatts of electricity to Pakistan’s export industry at the most competitive tariff in the region.

The dashboard’s launch is already showing impact. Dr. Fiaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Chairman of NGC’s Board and Senior Adviser at the LUMS Energy Institute, noted that the strategy has helped save over $10 million in foreign exchange through import substitution. He emphasized that LUMS would remain a key partner in promoting digital innovation, energy policy reforms, and institutional strengthening.

Dr. Chaudhry also highlighted the need for $8 billion investment in Pakistan’s transmission sector under the Integrated Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) and Transmission System Expansion Plan (TSEP).

“We want this equipment and material to be manufactured in Pakistan, which will save valuable foreign exchange,” he added.

Local Orders and Global Benchmarks

NGC Managing Director Engr Muhammad Waseem Younas shared progress made since the policy’s introduction in 2022. NGC has placed over Rs2 billion in local orders, including Rs781 million in educational orders to enhance local industrial capabilities. A revision of NGC’s Type Test Policy in 2023 now aligns with global standards, paving the way for local manufacturers to enter international markets.

The workshop convened a diverse group of stakeholders, including power producers, regulatory authorities, manufacturers, and academic leaders, to shape a national strategy for scaling up electric power equipment production within Pakistan. Key challenges in localisation across generation, transmission, and distribution were discussed, along with policies to strengthen the manufacturing sector.

Unified Call to Action

The event concluded with a broad consensus on a clear roadmap to:

• Align procurement practices with national goals
• Foster global technology partnerships
• Promote import substitution as well as local manufacturing

Dr. Tariq Jadoon, Provost at LUMS, reaffirmed the university’s role in evidence-based policymaking and energy innovation.

Dr. Naveed Arshad, Director of LUMS Energy Institute and NGC Board member, added:

“LEI is helping to reimagine energy localisation through interdisciplinary R&D.”