Year: 2025

Govt to Ink Rs1.2tr Financing Deal Today to Tackle Circular Debt

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Energy-Debt

ISLAMABAD: The government will sign a financing facility agreement today aimed at reducing the mounting circular debt in the power sector, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) invited CEOs and senior executives of banks and power companies to attend the ceremony, which will be held at the PMO. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, currently in New York for the UN General Assembly session, will virtually address the gathering. Pakistan’s debt crisis continues to weigh heavily on its economic outlook. According to the State Bank of…

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Oil Industry Seeks Cost Recovery Support for Rs50bn Digitisation Drive

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New-Oil1

KARACHI: Pakistan’s oil industry has urged the government to provide a cost recovery mechanism to support the digitisation and modernisation of the downstream sector, which is expected to cost more than Rs50 billion. The investment will be used to upgrade over 11,000 retail outlets nationwide with digital dispensers, QR codes, mobile payment options, and automated tank gauging systems. In a letter to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) highlighted that while the industry is aligned with the government’s vision, the initiative is long-term…

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Emergency Gas Pipeline on Motorway Sparks Safety Concerns in Flood-Hit Punjab

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New-Gas

ISLAMABAD: Amid devastating floods, Pakistan’s fragile energy infrastructure is facing renewed pressure after emergency gas transmission repairs in southern Punjab raised serious safety concerns. At Jalalpur Pirwala, floodwaters damaged multiple sections of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) network, forcing engineers to lay a temporary 36-inch diameter pipeline along a six-to-seven kilometre stretch of motorway to reconnect two critical assemblies and sustain supply to Punjab. Technical experts warn that placing a high-pressure gas line on a flood-damaged motorway risks violating safety protocols and could create a serious hazard if…

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ISMO’s Merit Order Reveals Wide Cost Gaps Between Pakistan’s Power Plants

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Power-Plants

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan grapples with soaring fuel costs and persistent energy shortages, the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) has released a revised Economic Merit Order (EMO) that lays bare the stark disparities in the cost of electricity generation across the country’s power plants. Prepared in collaboration with the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G), the EMO ranks power plants by generation cost to guide electricity dispatch decisions. It assumes full-load efficiency, smooth fuel availability, and zero outages, though real-world operations often differ due to fuel shortages, contractual obligations, and system…

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TIP Seeks World Bank Probe into $153m Madyan Hydropower Contract Irregularities

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Hydropower

ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has flagged “serious irregularities” in the $153 million procurement of the 215MW Madyan Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling on the World Bank to investigate and, if necessary, scrap and restart the bidding process. In a letter to World Bank Country Director Ms. Bolormaa Amgaabazar, TIP cited a formal complaint alleging violations in the prequalification and evaluation process conducted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) under the World Bank-funded KHRE Project. The watchdog claimed that a joint venture was prequalified despite one partner—a…

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