Project Coordinating
2. Resources Exploration:
Pakistan is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources but also one of the poorest among them in their management. Majority of these resources lie in the Baluchistan, a province facing severe instability due to insurgencies and heights of poverty. The country is abundant in the vital resources including that of energy, agriculture, minerals, and geography, but unlike the developed countries, these have not been properly exploited due to poor management and lack of an undivided attention. Prevalent political rivalry and instability, worsening law and order situation and rampant corruption have catalyzed the situation to resource development impasse. Contrary to economic potential of its natural resources, Pakistan is a dependent on foreign aid and debt; it is facing deficit in trade, acute energy crisis to run industry, and water stress for agriculture, to name a few challenges. CAS is focused on allowing Pakistan to realize the true potential of its resources, globally, by attracting FDI through effective exploration of these resources.
3. Mining:
Pakistan has excellent mineral potential including precious metals, dimension stones, industrial minerals, rock salt, coal, etc. but the potential has not been developed commensurately. This mismatch exists primarily due to capital intensive nature of investment. The mining and quarrying sector grew by 7.6% in 2012-13 as against 4.6% for the year before. To date, over 1,400 mining concessions have been granted and the sector contributes 2.4$ to GNP.
a) Non-Metallic Mining:
Pakistan has extensive mineral resources which includes non-metallic minerals. These include fairly sizable reserves of limestone, rock salt, and marbles, tiles, sulfur and silica sand. CAS specializes in the mining of non-metallic minerals such as coal. Even with the instability surrounding Pakistan, CAS has the expertise and political inroads to provide our clients with a complete landscape for mining which includes; geographic research, mining strategy, mine planning etc. Not only this, CAS is also involved in providing downstream strategies, pricing strategy, and logistical support and distribution channels to its clients.
b )Metallic Mining:
Pakistan has metallic minerals in abundance with Balochistan being the prime area for investment in this sector. Baluchistan sits in the Regional Oil, Gas, and Mining belt; sandwiched between Iran and Central Asian Republics (CARs) (Afghanistan upward); Caspian Sea on the North & Arabian Sea (Gwader Port) in the South. The area provides easy transport and access to both CARs and Gwadar Port. Reko Diq and Saindak have proven to be huge reserves with a lot more potential in the province. Given these opportunities, CAS is involved in the mining of copper/gold and iron ore. Using its expertise and access to Baluchistan provincial government, CAS provides complete landscaping of the area to its clients, which includes site research, mine planning and mining strategy, making our clients achieve their goals.
4. Oil & Gas:
Pakistan is considered as an oil-rich nation, although untapped, with high estimates of proven and non-proven reserves. Petroleum production is heavily dependent on refining capacity, efficiency, and a stable crude oil supply. Over the years Pakistan has increased its refining capacity, with newer and more efficient refineries set up, but is largely dependent on imports for its crude oil supplies. This problem can be solved if the country is able to extract its own reserves.
a) Shale Oil Reserves:
In a major development, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the American federal authority on energy statistics and analysis, has estimated fresh recoverable shale gas reserves of 105 trillion cubic feet (TCF) and more than nine billion barrels of oil in Pakistan. At CAS, our team focuses on the exploration and extraction of these finite oil resources, by deeply researching and understanding the current market situation. We have access to FDI which along with market access and political reach will make the extraction of these reserves possible. Timely extraction of these reserves could significantly help Pakistan cope with its ever growing energy needs.
b) Gas:
Pakistan has a well-developed gas transmission structure. It has signed a US$ 7.6 million gas pipeline project which would provide 750 million cubic feet of gas from Iran to Pakistan on a daily basis. The biggest natural gas fields in Pakistan include Kandkhot field, Sui gas field, Toot gas field and Ul Haq field. The Sui gas field is the biggest natural gas field in Pakistan. It is located near Sui in Baluchistan. Sui gas field accounts for 35% of Pakistan's gas production. Remaining reserves are estimated to be at about 800 billion cubic feet and the daily production is around 660 million cubic feet of natural gas. CAS, using its expertise in in-depth research-of location, regulatory policies, and political inroads, makes it possible to attract FDI, which will resultantly help Pakistan in extracting these resources and using them to curb the on-going gas crisis.
5. Power & Energy:
Pakistan is facing a severe power deficit since demand for electricity grew by 6-8% per annum in the past years without a commensurate addition in generation capacity. Power deficit estimated to cost the economy 2% of GDP per annum. Current power deficit stands between 5,000-8,000 MW. Current energy mix for power generation is heavily dependent on thermal power generation (approximately 70% of generation mix) and the focus is to encourage investments in indigenous resources to generate cheap electricity such as coal, nuclear, hydropower, solar and wind energy generation. Pakistan has an installed electricity generation capacity of 22,797MW. The average demand is 17,000MW and the shortfall is between 4,000 and 5,000MW. The development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has opened up projects to increase the supply of power, thus opening up new opportunities for FDI in this sector.
As is evident, the power and energy sector of Pakistan has a lot of room for development. The government needs public-private partnerships to boost the energy sector. Our team at CAS acts as a project sponsor’s agent to manage all aspects of complex projects. We work with utilities and related energy companies to create synergies that impact the market. We create the solicitation of the project and oversee all teaming arrangements. We drive the master budget and timeline through project completion. We help project sponsors and stakeholders forecast project scenarios and identify elements required for success. We create strategies that take into account political climate, funding opportunities and alternatives, and operating structures. We make informed recommendations on the value of proceeding.
a) Hydropower:
Hydropower electricity is a major source of Pakistan’s power sector producing about 32% of the total power generation. Electricity can be generated wherever there is moving water and fortunately Pakistan is blessed with such sites in the mountainous regions in the northern areas of the country. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, there are 142 hydropower project sites with another 296 potential hydropower sites in Punjab. There are numerous other potential sites in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Based on this information we can assuredly conclude that there is extensive potential for development in the hydropower sector. This is where our dedicated team at CAS comes in. We are experts in providing guidance and execution in exploring new avenues for investment to our clients. CAS’s exceptional research and reach in these areas allows our clients to achieve their goals in an efficient manner.
CAS offers:
- Pre-feasibility studies
- Initial site and resource assessment
- Detailed feasibility study
- Energy yield prediction
- Environmental assessment
- Planning applications
- System design
b) Thermal:
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has allowed Pakistan to see new projects being signed with China. The recent inauguration of the Port Qasim Thermal Power Project is one example of the Early Harvest Projects that have been developed under the CPEC. China has pledged its support to Pakistan in resolving its energy crisis which has opened up the way for more projects to be initiated in the country. Pakistan is rich in coal with a total of 185.17bn tons in reserves. Sindh is the major province in which coal is found in abundance. CAS comprehends the significance of these opportunities and is working towards securing projects for its clients to secure FDI in coordination with the government. CAS acts a representative of its clients throughout the project- from planning to successful implementation.
CAS offers:
- Pre-feasibility studies
- Regulatory assessment
- Strategy planning
- Design and development
- Due diligence
c) Wind:
In its effort to resolve the ongoing power shortages in the country the Government of Pakistan is working to develop alternate energy projects. It has the support of China in this regard through the development of CPEC. The 200MW Jhimpir wind power project is one of the Early Harvest Projects initiated under the CPEC. The interest in the sector is growing firstly due to the need to curb the pressing power shortages and secondly due to favorable investment policy of the country. The Renewable Energy policy of 2006 is very investor friendly, providing wind risk coverage, liberal political risk coverage, liberal financial incentives and cheap rates for land acquisition. CAS realizes that these incentives play a significant role in luring investors to the country and our team excels at adequately marketing these benefits to its customers to present a win-win situation for our clients in realizing their goals.
CAS offers:
- due diligence services,
- feasibility services,
- design and development,
- operational management services
- procurement services
- contracting services
- project management
d) Solar:
To resolve its energy crisis Pakistan has also turned to developing sustainable energy projects. Pakistan is one of the sunniest countries of the world. The recent launch of Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park is one example of the efforts made by the government in this regard. Pakistan is building solar power plants in Pakistani Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. These programs are under development by the International Renewable Energy Agency of China and Pakistani private sector energy companies. The interest of China in Pakistan is fueling the opening up of new projects in the country, making it a golden time for investment in this sector. CAS strives to find and present these openings to its clients by formally engaging them through compelling research and expertise in the field.
CAS offers:
- due diligence services,
- feasibility services,
- design and development,
- operational management services
- contracting services
e) Waste to energy:
In an attempt to supplement sustainable power production, a lot of importance is being laid on biomass or waste to energy. Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) is currently dumped in the open, in a mismanaged manner. Projects that utilize this waste for energy generation, replace and reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in Pakistan's thermal power plants, and can thus qualify for CDM projects. Pakistan has not been using this medium to produce power in the past and thus this sector qualifies as a major area of investment given the current scenario. Favorable investment policies also make this a suitable time to jump in the market. CAS sees the gap in the market and through industry expertise can woo investors to pump FDI in the waste to energy industry.
CAS offers:
- Feasibility study
- Infrastructure design
- Contracting services
- Due diligence reporting
6. International Trade:
During the current fiscal year, trade deficit has gone down by 4.89%, which is a sign that Pakistan’s exports have increased more than its imports. This is a positive sign; however, Pakistan remains a country facing problems in international trade. It is a country full of opportunities given the resources at our disposal but the right steps are not being taken to exploit them. Textile, rice and sports goods are the major export items of Pakistan while oil, iron ore and steel and industrial machinery form a major chunk of the overall imports. Pakistan has the potential to overcome its trade problems by utilizing its resources. A big market to target should be China because of its keen interest in Pakistan. China, with a population of 1.36 billion is a huge market and can be targeted to increase our exports. Both Pakistan and China can work together to benefit from each other, creating synergies across borders. At CAS we are involved in making sure that our clients know about the opportunities under the newly developed CPEC. With our skilled knowledge of various sectors, we aim to provide useful insight and guidance to our investors to kick start new projects, which eventually will benefit our clients and of course Pakistan.
CAS offers:
- Market Entry Strategies
- Logistics and Customs
- Local Regulations and Compliance
- Outsourcing Solutions
- Distribution Channels; the realistic approach
- Market Research; quantitative techniques and qualitative tools
