World Bank looks to new investments under public-private partnerships model

The World Bank Group is looking into new investment opportunities through private-public partnerships in Pakistan besides supporting the expansion of modern digital metering systems across the power utilities in the country. Two related delegations of the World Bank and its commercial arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), had detailed engagements with the ministers of finance and power on Monday. The two sides also had a consensus on retaining the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), the operator of the national grid, in the public sector instead of its privatisation. A high-level delegation led by Mr Pankaj Gupta, World Bank’s Regional Director for Infrastructure, had a detailed meeting with Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari. The discussion focused on ongoing reforms in Pakistan’s energy sector, privatisation efforts, and opportunities for long-term collaboration, a statement said.