No commitment from US on energy issues

In a surprising move, the United States remained non-committal to providing financial assistance, even though Pakistan laid bare its’ chronic energy issues before American officials for solutions.
US officials even parried requests for financial assistance for the $12 billion Diamer Bhasha Dam and technical cooperation to tap more than 100 trillion cubic feet of tight gas reserves in the country. An official source said that the Pakistan US energy dialogue only reviewed progress on the energy issues and no firm commitment was given by the US on assisting Pakistan to resolve the issues on practical lines. “They took detailed briefing on all the energy issues but gave no commitment”. Pakistan however wanted financial commitments, even a smaller one on the 4500 MW Diamer Bhasha Dam planned on the Indus River from the US, as it would have helped getting financial commitments from International Financial Institutions (IFIs). Work on the project has stalled since 2007 due to financial constraints.
The two days talks were led by the US Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs Ambassador Carlos Pascual and Minister of Water and Power Naveed Qamar. The US delegation comprised of officials of USAID, OAPA, and SRAP and held discussions with representatives of Pakistan’s key energy sector stakeholders including Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs, Water and Power, Petroleum and Natural Resources, Planning Commission, WAPDA, PEPCO, NTDC, NEPRA, PPIB, AEDB and ENERCON.
Talking to the reporters after the meeting, Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar said that the Pakistani side briefed the US delegation on the hydel power projects especially on the Diamer Bhasha dam. However he said no commitment was made on the project. He said that Pakistan stressed all leading international oil and gas exploration and production companies were working in Pakistan and US companies should be asked to look for investment opportunities. The US agreed their companies should look for investment avenues in Pakistan. A statement issued by the US Embassy said that the US and Pakistan reviewed progress on ongoing energy programs and recommitted themselves to pursuing practical solutions to Pakistan’s energy needs. Ambassador Carlos Pascual joined Pakistani Minister of Water and Power Naveed Qamar to reaffirm the partnership.
“As all Pakistanis know, reliable and affordable energy is critical to Pakistan’s prosperity,” Ambassador Pascual said at the opening of the Dialogue. “There are no quick fixes to this crisis, but the United States and international partners are willing to help. We will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to resolve this energy crisis.” He reaffirmed US long-term commitment to working with Pakistan to establish a commercially-viable and sustainable power sector. During the dialogue, US and Pakistan reviewed ongoing cooperation in the energy sector.