Year: 2022

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that cheaper energy production from Thar coalfields would be a game changer for national development. Speaking at the inauguration of the commercial operations of the second phase of coal mining by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), the prime minister said the Thar coal project would help the government save up to $6 billion annually in terms of reduced energy imports, which already crossed the $24bn mark. He said the project was high on the government’s agenda as coal reduced the cost of…

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The Sindh High Court on Monday extended its earlier order to restrain the K-Electric from collecting the Municipal Utility Charges and Taxes (MUCT) through electricity bill till Oct 26. A division bench headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi also appointed two senior lawyers as amici curiae to assist the court on the subject issue. Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab was present in court when the bench took up for hearing two petitions filed by a lawyer and the city chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami against collection of MUCT through power bills.…

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National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is to protect interest of both net metering consumers, as well as, remaining non net metering 35 million consumers across the country. Well informed sources in Nepra told Business Recorder that the number of net metering consumers at present is around 28,000. The excess units delivered by net metering consumers in the grid in August 2022 were around 4.2 GWhs which are expected to increase exponentially, keeping in view the fact that installed capacity for the Distributed Generators (DGs) has increased from less than 100 MW…

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Senate passes resolution to end monopoly in power sector October 11, 2022 The government and the opposition in the Senate Monday passed a rare unanimous resolution for abolition of monopoly in the power sector and evolving a mechanism to help generate and provide low-cost electricity to consumers. Both sides expressed deep concern over the continuously increasing power tariff and identified monopoly “mafias” as the main hurdle to going for cheaper technology for electricity generation. The Senate witnessed a lively debate from both sides of the divide on the subject. The…

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To manage external financing requirements of $34 billion, Pakistan will explore options to secure debt rescheduling from bilateral non-Paris Club countries, and optimise programme loans and budgetary support from multilateral creditors during the current fiscal year. Besides, Islamabad will also request the IMF to provide upfront provisions for releasing tranches under the existing Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The bilateral donors will also be asked to augment financial support in the wake of pressing external financing requirements, especially from Muslim countries. “We have conveyed our message loud and clear that Pakistan…

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