Understanding the dynamics of electricity supply, resources and pollution: Pakistanʹs case

To meet the compelling demand for electricity, the government of Pakistan introduced reforms in 1990–1991 that provide incentives for private sector investments, particularly in the electric power industry. In response to these incentives, most of the independent power producers (IPPs) offers included oil, coal and/or gas power plants. Hydroelectric generation, despite its rich resource base in the country, did not gain much attraction. This research provides an assessment of the existing policy subject to the constraints of environment concerns and available, but limited, resources. A dynamic simulation model that captures the dynamics of the sectors underlying the electricity system is built using system dynamics methodology. The policy assessment has been carried out in a three-dimensional context: the electricity supply; the resource import dependency; and the evolution of CO2 emissions. This research finds that the unchanged prolongation of the existing policy seems to effectively attract IPPs investments but not without potentially adverse consequences for the environment and the economy.