From critical minerals and power-sector modernization to U.S. technology and financing, Episode 3 of The Energy Sphere explores emerging opportunities for commercial partnerships between Pakistani and U.S. businesses.
Pakistan’s energy and minerals sectors present growing opportunities for trade, investment, technology, and commercial partnerships with U.S. companies. Converting these opportunities into viable projects requires credible business propositions, appropriate technology, access to financing, clear regulatory frameworks, and strong commercial partnerships.
These themes are at the center of Episode 3 of The Energy Sphere, a podcast initiative implemented by IVLP 2025 alumna Barrister Sarah Kazmi under the PUAN Grants Program, with support from the U.S. Mission to Pakistan through the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).
In the episode, Sarah Kazmi and her co-host speak with Dan Acker, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, about U.S.–Pakistan commercial engagement across energy and minerals. Their conversation covers critical minerals, oil and gas, power-sector modernization, advanced U.S. technologies, financing, investment frameworks, workforce skills, and practical ways Pakistani companies can pursue commercial partnerships with U.S. businesses.
Connecting U.S. Businesses with Opportunities in Pakistan
Acker begins by explaining how the U.S. Embassy’s Economic Section supports broader economic and commercial engagement between the United States and Pakistan.
His portfolio focuses on energy and minerals, while the Economic Section works across a range of sectors and engages with Pakistani government officials, businesses, and sector experts to understand economic developments, policies, and emerging commercial opportunities. This information also helps inform U.S. stakeholders about developments in Pakistan and potential opportunities for American businesses.
Another important part of the Economic Section’s work is supporting U.S. companies interested in Pakistan. This can involve helping businesses navigate relevant processes or connecting them with potential Pakistani counterparts.
Acker also highlighted the role of the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, under the U.S. Department of Commerce, which can serve as an important resource for U.S. companies pursuing commercial opportunities, including tenders and potential business partnerships.
Together, these channels can help connect commercial interest with practical opportunities for trade and investment.
Energy and Minerals: Opportunities for Technology and Investment
Discussing Pakistan’s energy sector, Acker highlighted opportunities for U.S. companies to contribute specialized technologies, equipment, expertise, and financing.
In oil and gas, Pakistan already has an established domestic industry, while exploration and technological developments continue to create new possibilities. U.S. companies are participating in the sector, particularly through specialized services and technologies.
The discussion also touched on the potential application of advanced technologies to unconventional resources such as shale gas. According to Acker, feasibility-related work taking place today could help determine where larger commercial opportunities may emerge in the future.
In the power sector, transmission upgrades and grid technologies were identified as areas where U.S. companies could offer advanced technical solutions.
Acker emphasized that U.S. participation does not necessarily have to involve leading an entire infrastructure project. American companies can also contribute specific technologies, equipment, technical expertise, and financing that help Pakistani businesses and institutions implement larger projects.
Critical Minerals and Growing Commercial Interest
Minerals emerged as one of the central themes of Episode 3.
Acker pointed to opportunities for advanced technologies and modern techniques across mineral exploration, mining, processing, and refining. He also explained that large mining projects typically develop over long timeframes, moving through exploration, feasibility studies, financing, and development before reaching production.
This means commercial engagement can develop in stages.
Some U.S. companies may initially explore offtake arrangements for minerals produced in Pakistan. Over time, opportunities could expand into partnerships with Pakistani companies, expansion of existing operations, new mining projects, and technologies for processing and refining.
Acker specifically discussed commercial interest in minerals such as antimony and tungsten and noted growing interest among U.S. companies in Pakistan’s minerals sector.
He linked this trend to the current U.S. administration’s focus on expanding access to critical minerals, including through commercial engagement with partner countries such as Pakistan.
For Pakistan, this could create opportunities to build stronger connections between its mineral resources and U.S. industry through trade, investment, technology, and supply-chain partnerships.
Strengthening the Framework for Long-Term Investment
Large energy and minerals projects require significant capital and long-term commitments. Acker therefore highlighted regulatory clarity, consistency, and predictable commercial frameworks as important considerations for companies evaluating investments.
For prospective investors, a clear understanding of approval processes, regulatory responsibilities, contractual arrangements, and other commercial requirements can make it easier to assess and develop projects.
Greater predictability in these areas can help strengthen investor confidence and improve Pakistan’s ability to attract long-term international capital.
The conversation therefore underscored an important connection between commercial opportunity and investment readiness: strong projects need not only resources and technology but also clearly defined processes that allow investors and local partners to plan for the long term.
A Growing Focus on Commercial Partnerships
A particularly relevant part of the conversation focused on the current direction of U.S. economic engagement.
Acker highlighted the growing emphasis on commercial partnerships, including approaches that connect Pakistani institutions and professionals more directly with the skills and technical requirements of international businesses.
For example, educational institutions can work to ensure that technical curricula reflect the skills required by companies operating in advanced energy and minerals sectors. Commercial partnerships can also provide professionals with practical exposure to technologies and operating models used by international companies.
Acker discussed examples in which locally recruited professionals gain experience at operating facilities abroad before applying that knowledge to projects in Pakistan.
Similar models already exist in oil and gas, where U.S. service companies operating in Pakistan employ Pakistani professionals who gain experience working with specialized technologies and international operations.
These commercially driven arrangements can strengthen the workforce available to expanding industries while supporting the development of long-term business and technology partnerships.
U.S. Technology for Pakistan’s Power Sector
When asked where U.S. companies could offer particular value in Pakistan’s electricity sector, Acker pointed to advanced technology for transmission and grid modernization.
Potential areas include advanced transmission conductors, smart meters, grid technologies, battery energy storage systems, digital solutions, and equipment for large-scale power projects.
As Pakistan explores more competitive models within parts of its electricity sector, there may also be additional opportunities for private companies to develop commercially viable solutions.
This opens potential areas of engagement beyond traditional power-generation projects. Transmission upgrades, distribution technologies, industrial-scale energy systems, storage, and digitalization can all provide opportunities for specialized U.S. companies.
For American businesses, advanced technology can therefore be an important part of their commercial offering in Pakistan.
Combining U.S. Technology with Financing
Financing was another major component of the discussion.
Large infrastructure and technology investments require access to capital, and Acker highlighted U.S. financing institutions that can potentially support qualifying projects and commercial transactions involving American companies.
He referenced the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) as examples.
According to Acker, DFC has previously financed significant power projects in Pakistan and continues to look for bankable opportunities across the energy and minerals sectors. He also discussed EXIM’s ability to support transactions involving U.S. equipment and technology, including potential large-scale financing connected with equipment for the Reko Diq project.
This combination of technology, equipment, expertise, and financing could help create commercially competitive solutions for Pakistani companies pursuing major infrastructure investments.
Exploring the Intersection of Energy and Pakistan’s IT Sector
The episode also looked beyond traditional energy infrastructure to explore a potentially emerging commercial opportunity: the intersection between energy and information technology.
The hosts discussed whether Pakistan’s IT services industry could provide specialized support to U.S. energy companies, building on the country’s experience providing technology and back-end services to international businesses.
Acker saw potential in the idea, particularly if Pakistani technology companies and professionals develop expertise around the specific operational requirements of energy businesses.
The conversation also explored “energy as a service”, a business model in which companies outsource aspects of energy planning and management to specialized providers.
This intersection between Pakistan’s IT capabilities and energy-sector expertise could create another avenue for commercial engagement, particularly in areas such as digital support, data services, billing, energy management, and other specialized business functions.
Helping Pakistani Companies Connect with U.S. Businesses
One of the most practical parts of Episode 3 focused on how Pakistani companies can better position themselves when seeking U.S. commercial partners.
Acker emphasized the importance of approaching potential partners and relevant U.S. commercial channels with a well-developed business proposition.
Companies should be able to clearly explain what they offer, what technology or expertise they require, the commercial potential of their project, and what type of U.S. partner they are seeking.
For mineral projects, for example, prospective investors may require credible technical information, testing, resource data, feasibility work, and a clear commercial proposition before evaluating an opportunity.
The same principle applies across sectors. A clearly defined requirement for a particular technology, supplier, investor, or business capability creates a stronger basis for commercial matchmaking than a general request for an international partner.
Pakistani companies can also use official U.S. Embassy channels and the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service to identify appropriate resources for commercial inquiries.
The message for businesses was practical: preparation matters. The stronger and more clearly defined the commercial proposition, the easier it becomes to identify potential partners and explore investment opportunities.
Building the Next Pipeline of U.S.–Pakistan Commercial Opportunities
Many of the opportunities discussed in Episode 3 will develop over several years rather than immediately.
Mining projects, unconventional oil and gas development, transmission upgrades, and other large investments require technical studies, due diligence, financing, and project development.
Acker therefore encouraged a longer-term view of the commercial relationship.
In minerals, growing interest could translate into more U.S. companies establishing partnerships with Pakistani counterparts and advancing projects toward feasibility, financing, and development.
In oil and gas, technical studies and new exploration could create opportunities for specialized U.S. technologies and services.
In electricity, grid modernization, transmission infrastructure, smart metering, storage, and digital technologies could provide additional openings for American businesses.
Building this pipeline requires technically prepared, commercially viable, and investment-ready projects that can compete for international capital and business partnerships.
From an IVLP Experience to a Platform for Energy-Sector Dialogue
The Energy Sphere grew from an idea developed during the hosts’ participation in the 2025 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Integrated Energy Planning for the Power and Petroleum Sectors in Pakistan.
Through the PUAN Grants Program, Barrister Sarah Kazmi and her team have transformed that idea into a platform for conversations with policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and energy professionals about developments and opportunities across Pakistan’s energy sector.
Episode 3 advances that objective by focusing directly on the practical possibilities for U.S.–Pakistan trade, investment, technology partnerships, and commercial engagement.
The conversation highlights a complementary set of strengths. Pakistan offers resources, market opportunities, infrastructure requirements, technical talent, and growing demand for advanced solutions. U.S. companies can bring specialized technologies, equipment, expertise, financing, and international commercial experience.
Connecting these strengths requires well-prepared projects, commercially viable proposals, appropriate financing, and Pakistani and U.S. companies ready to build long-term business partnerships.
For Pakistan’s energy and minerals sectors, these areas offer significant potential to expand U.S.–Pakistan trade and investment relations and create new opportunities for technology-driven commercial partnerships.
The Energy Sphere is implemented by IVLP 2025 alumna Barrister Sarah Kazmi under the PUAN Grants Program, with support from the U.S. Mission to Pakistan through the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).
