ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has directed the Ministry of Railways and the Finance Division to present a comprehensive execution and refinancing plan for the Reko Diq rail agreements by March 30, 2026, official sources told Business Recorder. The Ministry of Railways informed the ECC that the Reko Diq copper-gold project, declared a ‘qualified investment’ under the Foreign Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act 2022, requires a dedicated rail link to transport concentrate from Balochistan to Port Qasim for export. The 1,350 km route via Main Line-III…
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Pakistan Refuses Rs220bn Interest Payment to Chinese IPPs, Seeks Waiver from Beijing
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will not pay Rs220 billion in interest to Chinese independent power producers (IPPs) for delayed electricity payments and will instead seek a waiver from Beijing. The government only recognizes Rs250 billion as the principal amount due, rejecting the surcharge as part of the Rs1.7 trillion circular debt. During ongoing IMF talks for the release of $1.2 billion in loan tranches, the Power Division briefed the Fund that despite improved performance last year, the power sector’s circular debt will rise…
Read MoreAPTMA Slams Unrealistic Power Expansion Plan, Warns of Higher Tariffs and Stranded Assets
ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), the country’s largest export body, has strongly criticized the government’s plan to expand power generation capacity by 50 percent to 64,000 megawatts under the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP 2025-35), calling it “unrealistic” and financially unsustainable. In detailed objections submitted to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), APTMA said the proposed plan would require nearly $50 billion in investments and lock Pakistan into a cycle of “high-cost power.” The association argued that the IGCEP relied on a flawed demand forecasting…
Read MoreNEECA Convenes High-Level Participatory Dialogue on REITs and Insurance to Drive Energy Efficiency in Agriculture
Islamabad, September 26, 2025 (Islamabad, Pakistan) — The National Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (NEECA) convened a session of its Conservation Conversations dialogue series under the theme “From Shock to Scale – Insurance, Credit, and REITs for Resilient Agriculture.”The dialogue brought together a wide cross-section of Pakistan’s ecosystem, from financial institutions, insurers, regulators, academics, innovators, private banks, and grassroots organisations. Participants included the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), National Insurance Company Limited (NICL), COMSATS University Islamabad, the Pakistan Board of Investment, Instaful Solutions, the National Rural Support Programme…
Read MoreWafi Energy Unveils Pakistan’s Second Retail Station Built with Recycled Plastic in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi: Wafi Energy, a Shell licensee in Pakistan, has inaugurated the country’s second retail station built using recycled plastic, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable innovation in the energy and retail sector. The new outlet, located at Police Lines Rawalpindi, has been constructed with 7,700 kilograms of plastic waste — equal to more than 5.8 million pieces of end-of-life plastics repurposed into durable building materials. The initiative follows the launch of Pakistan’s first recycled-plastic retail site in Karachi, where Wafi Energy, in partnership with startup Concept Loop, used 6,500 kilograms of…
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