Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved amendments to the National Electricity Plan 2023-2027 and a high-level design report for an Integrated Energy Plan covering 2027-2060, while directing authorities to accelerate efforts to equip young people, particularly women, with skills for emerging job opportunities.
Chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy at the Prime Minister’s House, Sharif approved the proposed amendments to the National Electricity Plan, subject to further consultations with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). The changes cover integrated energy planning, expansion of power generation and transmission, renewable energy supply to remote areas, cross-border electricity trade, tariff design, conservation, system and market operations, risk management, and administrative reform. They also aim to strengthen domestic capacity in fuel and technology, alongside promoting research, development, and digitisation across the power sector.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to energy-sector reform, Sharif stressed the need for a sustainable and affordable power supply, along with structural measures to reduce the circular debt burden. The committee also approved the High Level Design Report for the Integrated Energy Plan 2027-2060, a long-term framework officials say will involve stakeholders beyond federal and provincial governments, with a focus on strengthening energy security and economic competitiveness. Under the proposed framework, strategies would aim to deliver electricity to industrial and domestic consumers at reasonable rates while promoting low-carbon, environment- and climate-friendly power generation.
The Power Division briefed the committee on the power-sector circular debt position for fiscal year 2025-26, while the Petroleum Division presented a separate report on gas-sector circular debt over the same period.
PM Orders Skills Drive for Youth, Women
In a separate meeting reviewing implementation of the National Youth Employment Policy, Sharif directed authorities to place particular emphasis on equipping young people, especially women, with marketable skills to help them access new employment opportunities. He called for greater focus on employment prospects for youth in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and stressed the need for stronger inter-ministerial coordination to ensure effective implementation.
The prime minister said reforms had already been introduced at the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to align Pakistan’s skilled workforce with domestic and international business and industrial requirements. “Providing dignified employment to the country’s skilled and talented youth is among the government’s top priorities,” he said, adding that the National Youth Employment Policy reflects the government’s broader effort to expand opportunities for young people.
Sharif directed that progress on the policy be reviewed monthly and ordered an awareness campaign to inform young people about the opportunities and benefits available under the initiative. The meeting was told that NAVTTC is working to provide workers with international certifications and foreign-language proficiency required for overseas employment, with young people also being trained according to international market demand to improve their prospects abroad.
Officials said the government’s Digital Youth Hub is providing information on domestic and international employment opportunities through a single platform, while Youth Development Cells are being established in educational institutions to offer career counselling and connect students with employment and skills-development opportunities.
