Circular debt—myth and reality

We all know that the main reason for the forced increase in base power tariff is the “tsunami” of expensive and excess power capacity contracted by the previous PML government on “take or pay” basis that has hit the sector hard. The previous government also did not pass on any tariff increase in its last years and left that burden…

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Pakistan’s long term-nuclear energy programme

Energy plays a vital role in the development of a country. A country’s progress is also estimated by its energy demand and consumption. At present Pakistan has an installed generation capacity of about 37,500MW. The minimum total demand is about 24,000MW whereas the maximum total demand in summers is enhanced to nearly 29,000MW. The country’s transmission and distribution capacity, however,…

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CPEC — facts and fog

Last week, in “CPEC: Understanding the Behemoth — Facts and Myth”, we covered the conceptual framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This week, we continue to discuss the ‘eight core areas’ of the agreed CPEC architecture. CPEC has strong focus on social development, population welfare and poverty alleviation along its command areas… unlike any other programme of the International…

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Fertiliser industry asks govt to rationalise GST, release Rs57bln refunds

Fertiliser industry has urged the federal government to clear its pending refunds of Rs57 billion and provide relief to the sector in its upcoming budget by rationalising general sales tax (GST) for ease of doing business.https://1d9e23587209037635570b7739e57643.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html The industry also demanded for rationalising of input-output adjustment formula of the GST. Presently, fertiliser manufacturers are paying input at 5-17 percent of GST…

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A ‘100% renewables’ target might not mean what you think it means. An energy expert explains

wind-enery

Is 100% renewables realistic? Achieving 100% renewables is one way of eliminating emissions from the electricity sector. It’s commonly interpreted to mean all electricity must be generated from renewable sources. These sources usually include solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal, and exclude nuclear energy and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage. But this is a very difficult feat for individual…

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Bleeding discos’ aren’t stepchildren

The electricity distribution sector did make some progress last year (FY20) despite being hit by the pandemic. It bled Rs218 billion in lieu of T&D and recovery losses, continuing with decades old rich tradition. The loss was bettered by Rs8 billion from last year. The distribution companies’ collective transmission and distribution (T&D) losses have stood like a rock in all…

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