German Government Supports Construction of Substation at Gharo Wind Corridor with a funding of Euro 27 million.

 German Government Supports Construction of Substation at Gharo Wind Corridor with a funding of Euro 27 million.

 

Islamabad, 10 July 2025: The German government, through KfW Development Bank, has announced a significant investment of €27 million for the construction of a new substation at the Gharo Wind Corridor in Pakistan. Yesterday, Siemens Energy, in partnership with the National Grid Company of Pakistan (NGCP), officially signed a contract to commence construction work on the substation. The €27 million funding, provided by KfW will play a crucial role in evacuating power generated from the Gharo Wind Corridor, supporting the transition towards a more resilient and sustainable energy system. 

Under the umbrella of the Pakistan-German Climate Energy Partnership (PGCEP) the project aims to enhance Pakistan's energy transmission network and facilitate the integration of clean, sustainable energy into the national grid, overcoming existing system constraints. In addition to its environmental impact, the initiative is expected to create numerous jobs, stimulate local economic growth, and contribute to a more stable and sustainable power supply across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sebastian Jacobi, Country Director KfW reaffirmed the support to the Government of Pakistan for achieving its goal to mitigate the impacts of climate change and increase the provision of the clean and renewable energy for the socio-economic development of the country. 

Janine Rohwer, Counsellor at the German Embassy emphasized the relevance of this projects for the IMF-supported economic reforms: Improvement of the transmission network is part of the cost-side reforms to which Pakistan has committed under the Extended Fund Facility of the IMF, a programme which Germany is looking forward to seeing Pakistan complete successfully.

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Russian intelligence role in Africa

 

Zoporozhye Nuclear Power Plant

Dr. Jassim Taqui, DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic studies 

Marking the 25th rotation of IAEA personnel to the Zoporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the IAEA reaffirmed its commitment to monitor nuclear safety and security at Europe's largest nuclear power plant. 

The IAEA is based on the premises to help prevent the threat of a nuclear accident, which would be catastrophic for Ukraine and the region, constituting a Calamity for human health and the environment. 

These personnel are deployed to the Zoporozhye Nuclear Power Plant to help prevent a radiological accident during the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 

The IAEA first deployed its teams to the site in September 2022 and has been continuously rotating its personnel on missions spanning several weeks since then. 

This was around the same time the plant, located on the left bank of the Dnepr River, fell to Russia, and has remained under Russian control since. 

However, it has come under repeated attacks since then, which has raised security concerns. 

Recently, Russia claims to have thwarted a Ukrainian operation, codenamed Short Circuit to infiltrate and seize the plant on October 11. 

Therefore, such an operation to take over a nuclear power plant is unprecedented and involves immaculate planning and execution, albeit with a high degree of risk. 

It is pertinent to note that not only did Russia manage to pull off the operation, but it also successfully engaged the international community to deploy IAEA teams to the site, who are, in effect, guarantors that no fighting will threaten the safety and security of the power plant. 

For Pakistan, this poses a worrying precedent, since its nuclear facilities have long been accused of being under threat of falling into extremist hands. 

At the same time, B52 bombers continue to be stationed a short distance from the Pakistani mainland, with the ever-present threat that its nuclear facilities may come under preemptive attack in the event of internal strife in Pakistan that spills over close to nuclear installations.  

This precedent and security scenario encourages forces hostile to Pakistan to engineer an attack close to its nuclear installations, thereby compelling international forces and watchdogs to take preemptive measures. 

All such preemptive interventions inevitably lead to Pakistani disarmament and dismemberment. 

Russia and the Red Sea

 Russia and Indonesia will hold joint naval drills, dubbed Orruda 2024, in the Java Sea from November 4 to 8. 

While Indonesia has held annual naval drills with the US since 2006, known as Super Garuda Shield, this is the first time the Indonesian navy has held drills with the Russian Navy. 

A contingent of ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet is visiting Indonesia and its commander has expressed the hope that these naval drills - designed to provide assistance to Indonesia and increase its Navy's knowledge and warfighting capabilities - will become an annual fixture and grow in scale. 

Traditionally, with a sizeable naval presence in Andaman and Nicobar, Russia has relied on its strategic partnership with the Indian Navy to look after its interests in the Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea. 

However, with India increasingly tilting towards the US and Europe, it is expected that Russia will have to look further afield to project its power in the Indian Ocean region. 

With war raging in the Persian Gulf, and with the Red Sea poised to turn into a conflict zone, all European maritime traffic passing through the Suez Canal to reach destinations in Asia and the Pacific is increasingly under threat and prone to uncertainty. 

This puts Russia at a disadvantage and threatens its far east as well as Siberia. 

It also refrains Russia from projecting its power into the Middle East and Africa, besides opening up China to instability and supply disruptions. 

With the new Myanmar junta chief poised to make his first visit to China since taking power, China is already engaged in shoring up its flank in the Bay of Bengal - its only other friendly access to the Indian Ocean other than Pakistan. 

Engaging with Indonesia will allow the Russians to safeguard sea passages going to and from the Pacific, around the Cape of Good Hope into Africa, Europe, and America. 

However, with the Red Sea balanced on a knife's edge, Russia is too far away from the action to exert a forceful and meaningful presence in the event of emerging crises. 

At the same time, India is in no position to provide a counterweight to the West, as it has increasingly turned towards Europe for advanced armaments and has shown a tilt towards it in international politics. 

In this scenario, it was expected that Russia would have to work more closely with Indonesia and Malaysia to protect its Far East. 

However, to truly become engaged in Africa and the Middle East, as well as to woo China, keeping it engaged in these parts of the world, Russia increasingly, has to increase its naval footprint in the Arabian Sea. 

India may not be the ally Russia is looking for to protect these interests, due to its strategic partnership with Israel, whose policies have resulted in turning all of the Middle East and North Africa into a war zone. 

If Israel keeps along the same trajectory, then war will see the Red Sea being shut down to international maritime traffic and India will be an accomplice to the maneuvers. 

This means that Russia must engage with Pakistan and Iran, fortifying their navies to keep order in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.  

Unless Russia builds Pakistan a navy and finds it common ground in its Red Sea policy, all regional maritime trade will likely be diverted around the tip of Africa. 

While this will allow guerilla warfare to flourish in the Middle East and Africa, NATO will likely become overwhelmingly more powerful in the High Seas, particularly in the Indian Ocean, Antarctica, the South Pacific, and the Atlantic, thereby cornering Russia in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. 

Going forward, Russia and China have little choice but to project their influence into the Middle East and Africa, securing maritime routes in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.