Pakistan may achieve green development goal via energy structure transformation
By Liao Yifan | China Economic Net Aug 13, 2021
The soaring carbon dioxide emissions have led to frequent occurrences of climate anomalies and extreme climate disasters all over the world, and green development has become a global consensus. In this context, China sets targets to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. While Pakistan aims to become climate neutral by 2050, and reduce at least 55% net emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.
While talking to Gwadar Pro, Malik Amin Aslam, Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister for Climate Change, said that Pakistan is highly depending on hydro energy, it has a maximum potential in hydropower, solar power and wind power.
“When the Prime Minister of Pakistan visited China, there was a meeting on Greening of Belt and Road Initiative. There they decided to turn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Green CPEC,” Malik added.
Clean energy has huge potential. In countries along the Belt and Road, China's renewable energy projects are bearing fruit. In order to transform CPEC into Green CPEC, photovoltaic power generation, wind power, hydropower and other renewable energy projects have been built and can be connected to the grid, said Yan Hongbo, General Manager of the Power Engineering Department of China CAMC Engineering Co., Ltd.
China's wind power capacity and photovoltaic capacity are now leading the world. The expansion of production capacity has reduced costs. China's clean energy technology can also be promoted abroad.
Countries along the Belt and Road should deliberate on energy projects based on obsolete technologies and join the ranks of advancement in building a decarbonized future. It is expected that Pakistan will achieve the goal of green development through the transformation of energy structure, Yan added.
Touching on transforming temporarily irreplaceable fossil fuel into clean energy, Wang Xiangping, Deputy General Manager of China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd., introduced that Huaneng had adopted Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology to achieve near-zero emissions of coal-fired power.
Gasification in IGCC allows for separation and capture of the concentrated and pressurized carbon dioxide before combustion. Syngas cleanup includes filters to remove bulk particulates, scrubbing to remove fine particulates, and solid adsorbents for mercury removal.
Currently, IGCC technology is being promoted in China, and China has put emission reduction on top of its energy projects in Pakistan, according to Wang.
