Month: February 2021

ANALYSIS: What IPPs ‘deal’ means for power sector investment

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THE government has extracted concessions worth several hundred billion rupees in future payments to the 47 independent power producers (IPPs) set up between 1990 and 2013 by forcing their hand but the ‘deal’ has left a bad taste in the mouths of their investors. The government has secured the lucrative deal in exchange for promises of payment of Rs403 billion it owes to the IPPs. What makes the bargain sweeter for the government is the fact that it will pay only a third of the amount in cash; the remainder…

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CCOE approves pipeline allocation

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The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) has approved a report of the sub-committee that recommended the allocation of pipeline capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports on a three-month rolling basis. A meeting of the cabinet body was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Monday. The CCOE approved the report of the sub-committee constituted by the CCOE vide its decision taken on January 18, 2021 regarding allocation of pipeline capacity to new LNG terminals, with the aim of encouraging investment…

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Deadlock in commissioning of Matiari-Lahore HVDC transmission project

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ISLAMABAD: In the latest development, Chinese company Pak Matiari- Lahore Transmission Company (PMLTC), which completed ±660kV Matiari-Lahore HVDC Transmission Project with investment of $2.2 billion in two years time, has threatened to move the international arbitration court against the government-owned company National Transmission Dispatch Company (NTDC) for creating hurdles in the commissioning of the project. The Chinese company has asked the board of directors of NTDC to hold a meeting and give it an opportunity for briefing on the causes of oscillation that happened on December 2, 2020 during the…

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CPEC’s Thar Coal Block-1 project making rapid progress: Li Jigen

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KARACHI: The Thar Coal Block-1 project, which is an important part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is making rapid progress despite all odds, says a top official. At the office relocation ceremony of Sino Sindh Resources Private Limited (SSRL), Li Jigen, Chief Operating Officer of SSRL, a subsidiary of Shanghai Electric, said that despite the Covid-19 pandemic and other obstacles, the mega project in Thar has picked up pace in recent times. Tariq Shah, Sindh Energy Secretary, Meng Donghai, CEO of Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Co and Li…

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Govt makes significant progress towards energy reforms: Nadeem Baber

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ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum Nadeem Babar has said that the government has made significant progress towards energy reforms despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. He said this during a virtual meeting with Asian Development Bank team in Manila. The Special Assistant informed the forum that government has prepared framework of regulatory authority for upstream petroleum sector, and it would be put in place after approval by Council of Common Interest and necessary legislation. The Country Director ADB lauded the efforts of…

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