IRG Assists Government of Pakistan in Establishing Integrated Energy Planning Capability

Under the Pakistan Integrated Energy Modeling technical assistance project, an 18-month project funded by the Asian Development Bank, International Resources Group (IRG) is assisting the Government of Pakistan (GoP) to establish an integrated planning capability that includes use of the MARKAL/TIMES modeling framework, the most widely used energy systems optimization model. It is a comprehensive tool that looks at all sectors of the energy system, including resource supply, power generation and upstream sectors, as well as agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential and transportation demand sectors.

In the course of this project, IRG will undertake these activities:

• Develop the input data and design an appropriate representation of the Pakistan energy system. This includes economic, financial and technical data on import and domestic energy supplies of all sources; power plants; energy consumption by sector and type; and environmental, efficiency, and socio-political issues to produce an integrated energy model.
  
• Review, evaluate, and extract lessons learned by other comparable countries which have used energy planning and optimization models.
  
• Review Pakistan's energy planning institutional framework and identify an appropriate institutional location and propose arrangements for an integrated energy planning team and network.
  
• Establish and calibrate a comprehensive energy system model for Pakistan, and using it to conduct a relevant policy analysis.
  
• Train domestic counterparts who will be part of a new Pakistan energy planning unit in all aspects of using and updating the integrated energy model, and advising the planning process.
  
• Establish and calculate indicators for measuring impact and benefit of integrated energy planning. This will be accomplished by comparing a Base Case (business-as-usual before integrated planning) with an integrated least-cost view of the future evolution of Pakistan’s energy system for the following indicators: Energy Intensity, Electric Supply and Demand Gap, Power Sector new capacity requirements, and Cost of energy supplied. Such an integrated energy planning capability will allow Pakistan’s national energy planning group to assess the impacts of various strategies for meeting current and future energy requirements in an optimal manner.
  

The model will also provide the new Pakistan energy planning group with a proven framework for examining post-Kyoto proposals as they come forward – for example, by allowing the Government to establish emission baselines and then evaluate various greenhouse gas emission “targets” on the system, to see how the target can be met at least-cost, what kinds of changes are imposed on the system to achieve this, and the implications on energy security. It can be also be used to assess the benefits arising from Clean Development Mechanism opportunities.

IRG has been working in Pakistan for more than 20 years, on projects financed by USAID, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

Disaster Relief

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Highlights

IRG President and CEO, Asif M. Shaikh, in his capacity as President of the Washington Chapter of the Society for International Development, introduces Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO Ambassador John Danilovich at the Third Anniversary Forum “State of the MCC: Progress Made Agenda Forward.” The event took place on January 18, 2007. Click here to see the video feed of the event.

IRG is Awarded a Number of Major USAID Contracts

Another year of dedication, commitment to quality, determination and just plain hard work has made 2006 a very good year for IRG. From Afghanistan to Zambia, and across all our sectors, we have won major contracts. The excellence and work ethic of not only those who work on proposals, but those who work every day for IRG here in Washington and around the world is the key to our continued success.

Asif M.Shaikh
President and CEO

IRG is pleased to announce the award of a number of major USAID contracts. Among them are:

• Amazon Basin Conservation Initiative that addresses conservation threats, and capitalizes on opportunities for sustainable development and conservation of natural resources, with an emphasis on participatory stakeholder involvement.
• ECO Asia, a regional project that will operate from Bangkok under the USAID Regional Mission and focus on improving policies and capacities and increasing investments for clean energy technologies.
• ECO India Phase III aims to reduce the rate of growth of greenhouse gas emissions through the commercialization of energy efficient technologies and services in India.
• Afghanistan Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program under which IRG, as a subcontractor, will provide technical assistance, capacity building and training services in the energy and water sectors.
• Regional-Global Support Services for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance with IRG experts focusing on training, capacity building and institutional strengthening in support of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance’s strategic objectives. A subcontractor on this project, IRG may provide surge capacity to DCHA under this five-year IQC.
• Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems (PLACE) IQC designs and implements practical solutions worldwide for enhancing biodiversity, natural resource management, and equitable growth. Under a $300 million ceiling, IRG will provide support services, including training, environmental compliance studies, monitoring and evaluation, policy and institutional development, strategic planning and analysis in enterprise development and various aspects of democratic governance.
• Asia-Near East Bureau Surge Capacity through a year-long IQC mechanism that allows IRG to provide technical assistance to all of the ANE bureau missions and offices – from quick mobilization and program management capabilities to a carefully constructed and audit-proven financial reporting system.
• Rwanda Profitable Ecotourism through Improved Biodiversity Conservation aims to help Rwanda rebuild its economy in part through ecotourism. Using a phased approach, IRG will promote stakeholder involvement to quickly develop and sustain capacity and knowledge of biodiversity, ecotourism and health. Meanwhile, in Uganda, IRG will conduct a country-wide assessment of biodiversity and tropical forestry conservation needs for compliance with Uganda law.
• Liberia Emergency Energy Assistance provides policy, legal and regulatory assistance to the Government of Liberia and continued advisory services to the Liberia Electricity Corporation and other stakeholders to increase supply and access to affordable energy services in urban and rural communities and to establish systems that will attract and sustain energy infrastructure investments and develop indigenous energy resources.
  

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Asif Shaikh, elected as president of SIDW

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IRG Achieves ISO 14001 Certification

IRG is proud to have received the ISO 14001 Certificate of Registration from the environmental auditing firm, National Quality Assurance, USA . ISO 14001 certification constitutes formal recognition of companies that manage their operations to minimize the impact on the environment, compliant with the international standard. more