GILGIT: Prince Rahim Aga Khan today visited Hunza district in Gilgit-Baltistan to launch the development of Duiker Phase II and Nasirabad Solar Power Plants with a total capacity of 3.6 MWp.
Phase I of Duiker Solar Power Plant, which has a generation capacity of 1MWp and 0.6MWh battery storage, commenced operations in November 2023, increasing the daily power availability for more than 11,000 people, from 10 to 17 hours in summer and from four to nine hours in winter.
When commissioned in November 2024, Duiker Phase II will expand generation capacity from 1MWp to 1.6MWp, and battery storage from 0.6MWh to 1MWh, providing increased electricity to an additional 8,760 people. Crucially, Duiker replaces diesel power generation, leading to an annual reduction of 1,100 metric tons of CO2 equivalent.
A 2MWp Solar Power Plant with 1MWh battery storage will also be constructed in Nasirabad in lower Hunza. This will supply power to an additional 23,400 people. The Nasirabad Solar Power Plant is expected to be commissioned in June 2025.
NPAK Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Industrial Promotion Services (IPS), the industrial and infrastructure development arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), is investing $6m in these projects. Project financing blends equity, sustainable debt, and grants. An additional $14m has been secured from development partners for the enhancement of the region’s energy infrastructure.
Over the next five years, NPAK Energy will mobilise additional investments in clean, sustainable sources of electricity across Hunza and surrounding areas, addressing the region’s acute energy deficit while contributing to global efforts to mitigate climate change.
The company is committed to improving public service delivery by creating a sustainable, self-reliant utility operation that catalyses economic opportunities and job creation, and models an innovative and efficient public-private partnership that contributes to sustainable development.
Institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) have been operating in Pakistan since 1905. Today, it operates activities aimed at improving the overall quality of life in the regions in which AKDN works.
Initiatives range from rural development and financial inclusion to advanced medical research and access to quality education, meeting both immediate needs and investing in Pakistan’s future. AKDN programmes have been replicated in every province in Pakistan as well as in neighbouring countries.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) is an international development agency dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and building economically sound enterprises in parts of the developing world that lack sufficient foreign direct investment.
It also makes bold but calculated investments in situations that are fragile and complex. It is part of the Aga Khan Development Network.Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) is the infrastructure and industrial development arm of AKFED. IPS has invested in over 1000MW of power generation in Africa and Asia.
Flagship power projects include Pamir Energy, an integrated utility in eastern Tajikistan, which was able to expand access to 24/7 clean electricity from 13 to 98 percent of the ViloyatiMukhtoriKuhistoniBadakhshon Region, and the 250MW Bujagali Hydro Power Plant, located in Uganda.
