IPPs inquiry commission put on ice

ISLAMABAD: The government has reportedly decided to put on ice the inquiry commission on Independent Power Producers (IPPs) tasked to conduct a thorough probe and the release of the inquiry report for at least two months aimed at using the report as bargaining chip for a better deal on power tariff , well-informed sources told Business Recorder. The decision was taken by the federal cabinet in its meeting held on April 28, 2020, with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair. It is unclear which cabinet member floated the idea…

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Opinion: Pakistan’s ‘Green Stimulus’ to combat Covid-19, protect nature

While the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has engulfed an unprepared world there is the possibility of a silver lining in how we respond. As humans retreat under forced lockdowns, nature has made an eager and speedy comeback — rehabilitating, reenergising and reclaiming lost space while at the same time compelling us to recognise our extreme vulnerability to the destruction of the very ecosystem we live in. The two striking lessons emerging out of this catastrophic situation are that nature has an inherent capacity to quickly self-heal, if allowed the time and…

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Ignored by Pakistan, the Indus delta is being lost to the sea

“What you don’t see, you cannot feel.” This phrase was used by Tanzeela Qambrani, Pakistan’s first lawmaker of African descent, to encapsulate the plight of the impoverished communities living in the once-flourishing Indus delta. Qambrani, whose Sheedi community is concentrated in the coastal regions of Makran in Balochistan province and Sindh, said the level of poverty is “incredible”. Known as the vertebra of Pakistan’s ecology and economy, the Indus delta is the fifth largest in the world and home to the seventh biggest mangrove forest. In recognition of its international importance, the…

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CCOE directs to expedite finalisation of renewable energy policy

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy was held in Islamabad with Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar in the chair. The meeting was apprised about the progress on the formulation and approval of the Renewable Energy Policy and the introduction of competitive bidding process for the entry of new producers in the renewable energy sector of Pakistan. The CCOE directed the Power Division to expedite the process and report back to the committee. The committee also approved the proposals of the Ministry of Power regarding…

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How Inexpensive Must Energy Storage Be for Utilities to Switch to 100 Percent Renewables?

Last week, the city of Los Angeles inked a deal for a solar-plus-storage system at a record-low price. The 400-MW Eland solar power project will be capable of storing 1,200 megawatt-hours of energy in lithium-ion batteries to meet demand at night. The project is a part of the city’s climate commitment to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Electricity and heat production are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Carbon-free electricity will be critical for keeping the average global temperature rise to within the United…

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