Pakistan, Sept. 13 -- The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a $47 billion electricity expansion plan, aimed at meeting generation and transmission needs through 2035.

The regulator approved the Integrated System Plan (ISP) 2025-35 submitted by Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO), but rejected a $900 million battery storage investment as unjustified, on Saturday. Nepra also revealed that the country's cheapest-ever renewable power sat excluded from national planning for more than a year, despite repeated regulatory warnings.

The ISP 2025-35 plan projects peak demand rising from 26,950 megawatts in 2025 to 35,521MW by 2035, requiring 26,045MW of new capacity (17,485MW "committed" and 8,560MW newly...