Year: 2026

LAHORE: Former caretaker commerce minister Gohar Ejaz has attributed Pakistan’s ongoing power crisis to systemic governance and management failures, rather than a lack of installed generation capacity. In a statement shared on X, Ejaz noted that despite an installed capacity of 46,605 megawatts (MW), the country continues to experience widespread load shedding. Industrial consumers face outages of 2–4 hours, while domestic and commercial users endure up to 16 hours of electricity cuts in some areas. He highlighted a significant gap between capacity and actual supply. At a peak demand of…

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ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has disbursed approximately Rs38 billion in Price Differential Claims (PDC) to 34 Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), in line with the government’s strategy to maintain affordable fuel prices. The disbursement has been carried out under a revised mechanism approved by the federal government, designed to enhance transparency, efficiency, and timely settlement of claims. The framework ensures a structured verification process, enabling quicker release of legitimate dues while maintaining financial discipline across the petroleum supply chain. Ogra reaffirmed its commitment to supporting government efforts…

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ISLAMABAD: A sharp increase in water releases from major reservoirs has significantly boosted hydropower generation, easing pressure on Pakistan’s electricity system and reducing load shedding hours across the country. According to the Power Division, water outflows surged to 30,000 cusecs overnight, compared to just 8,000 cusecs a day earlier. This substantial rise directly translated into higher electricity generation from hydel sources. Hydropower output jumped by 127%, increasing by 2,300 megawatts to reach 4,100 megawatts, up from 1,800 megawatts the previous day. The influx of low-cost electricity improved overall supply and…

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ISLAMABAD: Electricity consumers across the country may face a rise of 26 paisa per unit in power tariffs under the monthly fuel cost adjustment for March. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has submitted a formal request to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) seeking approval for the proposed increase. Nepra is scheduled to take up the petition for hearing on April 28. According to data submitted by CPPA, a total of 8.939 billion units of electricity were generated during March, of which 8.644 billion units were dispatched to distribution…

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ISLAMABAD: The federal government has collected over Rs180 billion from consumers through the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) in just six weeks, reflecting a sharp surge in revenue amid heightened geopolitical tensions. According to officials in the Ministry of Finance, PDL collections rose significantly during the recent escalation involving the United States and Iran, placing an increased financial burden on petroleum consumers across the country. Cumulatively, from July of the მიმდინარე fiscal year to mid-April, the government has amassed Rs1,234 billion under the levy—around Rs400 billion higher than the same period…

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