Publication:
Policy and Governance Framework for Off-grid Rural Electrification with Renewable Energy Sources

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2008-10
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2012-06-13
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World Bank
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The objective of the study was to develop an adequate policy and governance framework for off- grid rural electrification by: assessing the effectiveness and key socio-economic factors and governance structures in present off-grid electricity supply schemes; and exploring and testing sustainable decentralized service-delivery models for future large-scale off-grid rural electrification in Pakistan. This study has attempted to develop a policy and governance framework for implementing sustainable large-scale off-grid rural electrification in Pakistan. This was done by assessing the effectiveness of existing policy, governance, and institutional frameworks in actual implementation of off-grid supply (OS) projects in the country; examining regional and global models for off-grid supply which have worked; and exploring which combination of these experiences might work to scale-up access in Pakistan to reach the roughly 7,000 villages which are not likely to be supplied by grid electricity in the near future. Pakistan has in place, with the 'policy for development of renewable energy for power generation' (2006), a policy framework for renewable energy development, with a particular emphasis on attracting the private sector investments. One of the goals of the policy is to 'help ensure universal access to electricity in all regions of the country.' The RE policy spells out the financial and fiscal facilities to be provided to private sector investors who wish to set up off-grid and dispersed RE power generation. However, experience in Pakistan as well as globally shows that OS for rural electrification, to any large scale, will be unlikely to attract investment from the private sector without support from the government.
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World Bank. 2008. Policy and Governance Framework for Off-grid Rural Electrification with Renewable Energy Sources. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7954 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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