LAHORE / RAWALPINDI — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday highlighted Pakistan’s solar power boom at the COP31 in Turkiye, where world leaders gathered to discuss joint solutions to combat climate change. This year’s summit focuses on transitioning toward a low-carbon future.
Delegates from nearly 200 countries are meeting in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya as global greenhouse gas emissions show little sign of falling and wars, inflation and other crises compete for political attention. Addressing a high-level dialogue on clean energy transition, titled ‘ 35 by 35: Powering the Future ’, PM Shehbaz said : “In my country, an extraordinary transition has already taken place. “In just two years, Pakistan has added nearly 22 gigawatts of rooftop solar capacity — a quiet revolution by ordinary citizens seeking affordable power and a cleaner, more predictable future.” He affirmed that Pakistan fully supports the ‘ 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge ’, wherein countries agree to aim to increase electricity’s share of total final energy consumption to around 35 per cent by 2035 in line with global climate objectives.
The premier recalled the recent inauguration of a “key section” of Pakistan’s seventh nuclear power plant, Chashma-5, referring to its dome placement. He explained that the project will add 1,200 megawatts of clean energy to Pakistan’s energy mix. “A second transformation i