'Made in Pakistan' clean energy push begins

According to China Economic Net, as reported by The Express Tribune, an E-Cluster model is being implemented in Pakistan to create an integrated clean-energy manufacturing ecosystem nationwide. The goal is to make the country a regional hub for clean energy production and technology. Qasim Kamal, group director at Suzhou IBI Engineering, said Chinese high-end technical capabilities, production know-how, quality benchmarks and supply-chain expertise will gradually be brought in and localised in major industrial centres.

Production will start with completely knocked down assembly, so manufacturing can begin while local skills are built up. Over time, more key components will be sourced locally, eventually forming a full domestic supply chain. Kamal said the '3+3' arrangement makes China responsible for technology transfer, R&D, production lines and supply-chain capability, while Pakistani partners supply land, approvals, market development and sales. Joint research projects are also being set up with Pakistani universities and industry partners, while hydrogen fuel-cell technologies are under study.

The initiative, conceived in 2022, moved into implementation in 2026 with four to five partners covering batteries, electric vehicles and energy storage gear. Large-scale output is due in five to six months. Solar capacity reached 38 GW by FY25, up from less than 2 GW three years ago. According to Renewables First, a think tank, lithium-ion storage system imports climbed 220% year-on-year, totalling 4.6 GWh in calendar year 2025.