Pakistan said on Thursday it was stepping up its energy security planning, including building strategic oil reserves and accelerating a shift to electric vehicles, as the ongoing US-Iran-Israel conflict raises concerns over regional fuel supply disruptions. The war in the Middle East, a key global energy hub, has heightened fears of volatility in oil and gas markets, with countries like Pakistan, which rely heavily on imported fuel, particularly vulnerable to price spikes and supply shocks. Ensuring stable energy supplies has become critical for maintaining economic stability, controlling inflation and avoiding power shortages.
“Energy security has now become a critical component of the country’s overall future planning,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, according to an official statement after he chaired a meeting on energy security, where officials reviewed the country’s preparedness in light of the current regional situation. Sharif said timely measures and energy conservation efforts had prevented an energy crisis from emerging so far despite the evolving situation.
He directed authorities to continue work on plans to establish strategic reserves of crude oil to meet future energy needs, a move aimed at cushioning the country against external supply disruptions. The war involving Iran, Israel and the United States has disrupted global energy supplies by effectively choking traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
At Thursday’s meeting, the prime minister also called for a gradual shift in transport toward environmentally friendly electric vehicles (EVs). He directed that in the future, only electric buses and motorcycles should be procured for government use, and instructed officials to accelerate the establishment of EV charging stations across the country. Sharif further ordered the development of a framework to make it easier to acquire batteries for storing excess electricity generated from solar power, which is produced from sunlight using photovoltaic panels.
He also emphasized encouraging the local production of high-quality storage batteries to support renewable energy adoption. Officials told the meeting that the National Coordination and Management Council (NCMC), a body set up to oversee coordination during crises, is monitoring the energy situation on a daily basis.
They said the country currently has sufficient petroleum reserves and that the overall food security situation remains stable. Officials said ongoing efforts by oil and gas companies were helping increase domestic production, while two pilot projects for grid-level battery storage are being prepared under PC-I, a government planning document used to approve development projects. Authorities are also encouraging household solar users to install battery storage systems to better manage surplus energy, the statement added.