Pakistan is planning to allocate excess electricity from its national grid to Bitcoin mining operations and AI data centers, as reported by the country’s Crypto Council and finance ministry adviser Bilal Bin Saqib. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to address structural inefficiencies in the energy sector and advance Pakistan’s position in emerging technologies. The move comes as Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, has been appointed as a strategic adviser to the Pakistan Crypto Council to provide support for blockchain infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.
Pakistan’s energy sector has been facing challenges such as high electricity tariffs and overcapacity, leading to a need to convert surplus energy into economically productive activities. Saqib mentioned that the regional availability of excess electricity will determine the location of mining centers, with several provinces already showing patterns of consistent oversupply. The country also aims to diversify the use of surplus energy by establishing AI data centers that can operate in sync with the intermittent nature of available grid surplus.
Regulatory development and educational programs are also part of Pakistan’s institutional push toward blockchain and crypto. With between 15 to 20 million crypto users in the country, efforts are underway to establish sandbox environments for fintech startups and crypto ventures to operate under limited supervision. Additionally, there are plans to introduce upskilling programs in blockchain and AI to position Pakistan as a digital services exporter and create job opportunities in tech-aligned fields.
The use of Bitcoin mining as a means to utilize excess electricity represents a shift in national policy towards monetizing underutilized infrastructure. Talks are ongoing with mining companies to determine infrastructure, energy off-take agreements, and compliance protocols. Final site selections and partner announcements are pending completion of regional energy availability assessments and compliance with new technical standards. The country’s focus on blockchain and crypto as areas for growth aligns with its expanding internet penetration and maturing fintech sector.
