When Pakistan opened its power sector to private development in the 1990s, AES was there. We quickly developed AES Lal Pir, a 326 MW oil-fired power plant, followed closely by AES Pak Gen, a similar plant with a capacity of 365 MW. Today, AES is among the largest US investors in the country. Lal Pir and Pak Gen sell electricity to the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the state-owned utility, under 30-year power purchase agreements.

Government policy remains aimed at promoting market-based, private sector-led growth. AES has been in the vanguard of such transformation, and has revolutionized local practices and expectations of how well power plants can be run. Over the years, AES operations in Pakistan have become a proving ground for young, talented engineers and a source of expertise for AES development projects all over Asia, the Middle East and worldwide.