Rs 330b subsidy proposed for power

Pakistan-power-sector-target-of-ADB-funding

The Ministry of Finance may allocate Rs330 billion for power subsidies, which are equal to 60% of the next fiscal year’s estimated needs, sowing the seed for additional Rs220 billion circular debt from the very first day of the new fiscal year. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin also threw his weight behind a proposal of giving subsidised gas and electricity to five export-oriented sectors under existing mechanisms that will result in undue subsidy payments of about Rs14 billion to Rs17 billion on nearly 35% of the production by 4,000 industrial units…

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Pipeline capacities for LNG terminal sponsors ordered

ISLAMABAD: The Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Thursday directed the Sui gas companies — SNGPL and SSGCL — to immediately allocate pipeline capacities to the sponsors of two upcoming terminal of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for them to proceed with the final investment decision (FID) and financial closure. In a joint letter written to the managing directors of SSGCL, SNGPL and the two LNG terminal developers, Ogra reminded that on Feb 23, 2021, the Cabinet Commi­ttee on Energy (CCoE) had already decided on the issue of pipeline capacity…

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Circular debt—myth and reality

Pakistan-power-sector-target-of-ADB-funding

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 to this government. Due to Covid-19, no increase in base tariff was allowed by the PTI government in 2020 to avoid burdening the consumers (which inevitably added to the circular…

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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, is only approximately 22,000MW. This results in hours of electricity outrages in the hot summer months. Besides that, over 50 million people are not connected to the national grid and…

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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 Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank etc. The first core area deals with the ‘integrated transportation system’, including construction/development of Kashghar-Islamabad, Peshawar-Islamabad-Karachi, Sukkur-Gwadar and Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta-Sorab-Gwadar road infrastructure. CPEC will…

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