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Pakistan Can Overcome Energy Crisis With US Help on Shale Gas

We have been hearing about US help on energy since 2001, it never happens.

Could it be because of Pakistan's failure to maximize its gains from offered assistance with poor follow-through?
 
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Why do we have the tendency of dragging the Americans in everything? No wonder Pakistan is overly reliant on the US. There are tons of options to address the energy shortage. For a start, without relying on anyone Pakistan could build small and medium scale dams all over the country. The question is whether we can find consensus to build one dam? What are our priorities as a nation? Are we sincerely interested in resolving our problems? In Pakistan, finding consensus and political will are bigger challenges as compared to the energy crisis.
 
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Why do we have the tendency of dragging the Americans in everything? No wonder Pakistan is overly reliant on the US. There are tons of options to address the energy shortage. For a start, without relying on anyone Pakistan could build small and medium scale dams all over the country. The question is whether we can find consensus to build one dam? What are our priorities as a nation? Are we sincerely interested in resolving our problems? In Pakistan, finding consensus and political will are bigger challenges as compared to the energy crisis.

I agree. But hydel is seasonal and unreliable. Gas can be relied upon for a lot of applications ranging from power generation to powering CNG vehicles and used as feedstock for fertilizer production.

Pakistan needs to pursue hydrocarbons and renewables for its growing energy needs.

Unlike domestic shale in Pakistan, Iran pipeline option is expensive and Iranian gas requires a huge foreign exchange component.

Americans are the pioneers in the field of shale gas extraction and can help with technical knowhow and US companies can invest to develop it on an accelerated schedule as they are doing in North America....much faster than Iran-Pak pipeline if it ever gets funded in the face of US opposition.
 
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Here's a Daily Times report on US aid to Pakistan:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) disbursed to Pakistan over $2.6 billion in economic, energy, health, education and infrastructure projects under Kerry-Lugar-Berman (KLB) Bill.

“The main emphasis of USAID assistance was on energy production, economic growth, agriculture improvement, education, health and infrastructure projects in the country,” USAID Acting Country Director Karen Freeman told newsmen Friday after function at National Institute of Health here.

“US wants prosperous, secure, stable Pakistan with improvement in all basic needs of life available to people at grassroots level. All USAID funded projects are on track,” she said adding besides producing 400 megawatts (MW) through new projects, assistance is being provided for improving existing energy projects.

She said US government through USAID provided assistance to help strengthen energy sector, enhance economic and educational opportunities available to Pakistanis, improve health care services and meet critical infrastructure needs in remote mountain areas. It also provided substantial relief, recovery assistance, such as when floods devastated the country in year 2010.

Earlier, addressing certificate distribution ceremony of disease control and prevention program, she said outbreak of infection diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, hepatitis threaten well being of entire society. Doctors training will improve their skill to face this challenge. Strong disease surveillance, analysis, control systems are imperative so that infectious diseases are stopped.

Freeman said 31 Pakistani medical officials completed four week training from intensive US funded training program in basic epidemiology designed to strengthen detection, surveillance, analysis of infectious disease at district, provincial level. Program seeks to improve public health, disease control by building capacity in epidemiology, public health surveillance and response, public health laboratories, information systems for disease surveillance. USAID provided $6.78 million for this program since year 2006.

Since inception USAID health program trained 11,000 health care providers, provided 126 ambulances, upgraded 89 community healthcare facilities. In 2010 USAID helped restore 150 schools, trained over 600 teachers in Malakand. USAID offered training in finance to 19,000 women business owners in Punjab, Sindh provinces in 2010. As part of flood relief efforts USAID established 190 mobile health clinics, helped provide safe drinking water to over 1.5 million people daily.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
 
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