HUBCO’s CPEC-Linked Thar Power Projects Achieve Full Completion Milestone

HUBCO-Project

KARACHI: The Hub Power Company Limited (HUBCO), Pakistan’s largest independent power producer (IPP), has announced the formal completion of its two China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-linked Thar coal power projects — Thar Energy Limited (TEL) and ThalNova Power Thar (Private) Limited (TN) — marking a major milestone in the country’s energy development journey. In a notification to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday, HUBCO confirmed that lenders of both projects had declared the Project Completion Date (PCD) for the two 2x330MW mine-mouth coal-fired plants on October 31, 2025. According to…

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APTMA Calls for Revision of Peak Hours to Reflect Real Grid Demand and Boost Industrial Efficiency

New-APTMA

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has urged the Power Division to revisit the existing peak hours regime to better align it with the actual power demand patterns across the national grid, warning that the current system is leading to massive underutilization of available capacity. In a letter addressed to Federal Minister for Power, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, APTMA Secretary General Shahid Sattar highlighted that the demand profile of distribution companies (Discos) and K-Electric over the past year indicates a consistent shift in peak demand toward midnight,…

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ADB Highlights Governance Failures, Outdated Infrastructure in Pakistan’s Power Sector

Asian-bank

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised serious concerns over Pakistan’s struggling power sector, revealing that weak governance, lack of transparency, and outdated regulatory frameworks continue to cripple the performance of distribution companies (Discos) — despite repeated reform claims by the Power Division. According to sources in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the ADB’s findings were shared during a recent mission visit, where the bank underscored how chronic inefficiencies, mounting losses, and governance lapses have left Discos unable to secure commercial financing, forcing them to depend on limited public…

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Islamabad Solar Users Protest Over Mandatory Replacement of Green Meters with Costly AMR Devices

Net-Metering

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of solar power consumers in Islamabad have expressed outrage after receiving electricity bills instructing them to replace their existing green meters with Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) devices within three months — or risk losing access to net metering. Under the new directive, consumers with on-grid solar systems are being asked to purchase AMR meters at a cost of Rs52,000 each, while their previously installed green meters — which they had already paid for — will be taken back by the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco). Many consumers, who…

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PM Shehbaz Receives Inquiry Report on Rs170bn Carec Project Irregularities

Shehbaz-Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received the inquiry report into alleged irregularities in the Rs170 billion Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (Carec) Tranche-III project, with an official decision expected within the week. According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, the findings were submitted to the premier in a sealed envelope, and he is likely to decide the fate of the probe “within a day or so.” In August, the prime minister had suspended eight senior National Highway Authority (NHA) officials and constituted a committee to investigate serious procedural…

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