USTDA Supports Renewable Energy in Pakistan

(USTDA) Arlington, VA – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded a feasibility study grant to Pakistan-based engineering and construction company, Times Group (Private) Limited, for a renewable biofuels project that will improve environmental conditions in Karachi. Times Group selected Illinois-based Seaspire Advisors, LLC, to perform the study.

“USTDA is partnering with Times Group to fulfill a critical need for the people of Karachi that will make the land, water, and air of the city cleaner and create a more livable environment,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “By processing waste into a sustainable, renewable source of energy, this project will facilitate the decarbonization of Pakistan’s economy while opening up new commercial opportunities for U.S. companies.”

USTDA’s feasibility study will examine the viability of deploying anaerobic digester units to convert cattle waste into biomethane – a renewable natural gas – and fertilizer. Cattle waste in Karachi’s Landhi Cattle Colony, where the project will be located, currently represents a public health emergency given the lack of an organized disposal process for the waste.

“We are pleased to partner with USTDA for a ground-breaking feasibility study on this exciting project for animal waste in the Landhi Cattle Colony,” said Sajid Ali Abbasi, Director of Times Group. “This study would lead to a flagship project that showcases cutting edge U.S. technologies and processes, solving a major environmental problem with animal waste that we have faced here in Karachi.”

USTDA’s grant award was announced during a bilateral Energy Dialogue to renew and reinforce the longstanding partnership between the United States and Pakistan in the energy sector.

This project advances the goals of USTDA’s Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure, which connects U.S. industry to major clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects in emerging markets.