Month: September 2022

Approval of the much-delayed refining policy has now been linked with deregulation, with a top government official seeking input from local refineries for deregulation, which could also mean uneven POL prices across Pakistan. A top government official said that it was high time to deregulate the whole oil and gas sector, including refineries. The deregulation could be in full or done in phases. The official said that the “irritatingly long delay” in the approval of the new refining policy was a major hurdle in upgrading existing refineries and setting up…

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Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2030 has focused mainly on adding hydropower into the energy mix at the cost of wind and solar power,” experts said at a consultative session on Utility-scale Renewable Energy Transition in Pakistan, organised by Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED). Energy experts said renewables were the only long-term solution to resolve the country’s energy crisis. Samir Ahmed, Principal Consultant and CEO at Energy Future Consulting said renewables were the cheapest solution both in the long and short term. “The only stumbling block in…

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Amid ongoing protests against inflated electricity bills, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has indicated allowing power distribution companies to raise the power tariff by Rs3.39 per unit on account of quarterly adjustments. The fresh increase in electricity rates will put an additional burden of Rs94 billion on consumers who were already making a hue and cry over inflated bills. Critics have argued that the increase in electricity rates is due to faulty agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) made by the previous governments, and inefficiency and power theft…

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Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has swung into action after complaints rolled in against the LPG mafia selling liquefied petroleum gas at an exorbitant price of up to 90% higher than Ogra’s determined rates for September. LPG Industries Association Chairman Erfan Khokhar claimed that LPG is being sold at Rs300-360 per kilogram instead of the Rs212 per kilogram rate determined by Ogra for the month of September 2022. Further highlighting in flood affected areas, LPG is being sold for up to Rs400 kilogram, 90% higher than Ogra’s determined rate.…

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Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Hosseini on Tuesday said the Iranian government is ready to complete the Pak-Iran gas pipeline to enhance cooperation in the energy sector. Iran wants full cooperation with Pakistan in gas and other sources of energy, he said. “To further strengthen trade cooperation with Pakistan, completion of energy projects, especially the Pak-Iran gas pipeline, remains vital,” he said in an interview to APP. Adding that other initiatives to enhance economic cooperation include progress in the establishment of a border market, finalisation of a free…

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