Amos Hochstein, Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, met with the American Business Council’s (ABC) Executive Committee in Karachi to discuss its energy needs and challenges. ABC President Arshad Saeed Husain and ABC Vice President Amin Muhammad Khowaja greeted the U.S. delegation, which included Andrea Richter, Chief of Staff, State Department Energy Bureau; James Schwemlein, Senior Advisor, Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mike Curtis, Director of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Pakistan’s Energy Office; and Chad Peterson, U.S. Consulate Karachi Political and Economic Chief.
“I welcome the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the American Business Council in Karachi to continue our joint effort to help Pakistan better meet its energy needs” said Mr. Hochstein. “Together, these American businesses have collectively invested more than $750 million in Pakistan and they generate revenues of more than $3.7 billion.”
To help these businesses continue to expand, “an adequate, stable supply of power is crucial,” said the U.S. special envoy. “When businesses grow, the economy grows and that, in turn, creates much needed jobs that expand the U.S.-Pakistan trade and investment relationship and help Pakistanis feed and care for their families.”
Highlighting U.S. energy assistance to Pakistan, Mr. Hochstein noted that a U.S. firm, Excelerate Energy, has installed a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) to allow Pakistan to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time. “We are very proud of the role that the United States has played in introducing LNG to Pakistan,” Mr. Hochstein said.
