ASIA, AFRICA, LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN: UTILITY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS – MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

At a time in the world when countries are desperately seeking a cure and are trying to stem the spread of COVID-19, not only has society’s daily routine been transformed, but the electric industry’s as well.  Patterns of energy demand that have been largely predictable are now turned on their heads. In addition, social distancing has led to lower energy demand, impacting revenue streams and shifting load curves, potentially impacting long term contracts.  How are utilities addressing this new “normal” and what strategies are they putting in place to be…

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Getz Pharma donates 15,000 COVID 19 testing kits to Sindh Government

KARACHI: Pakistan’s leading pharmaceutical company, Getz Pharma donated 15000 testing kits as well as 1.9 million tablets of Hydroxychloroquine to the Sindh government to help in its fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. Hydroxychloroquine, or HCQ 200 is an anti-malarial drug shown to be effective against the Coronavirus. Getz Pharma is among a handful of companies that manufactures the drug. The company also donated 1500 units of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for doctors and healthcare workers, which have been dispatched to more than 50 hospitals, isolation wards, quarantine centers and clinics…

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SYSTEM LOSS IN ELECTRICITY DROPS TO 12.19 PERCENT, NASRUL INFORMS JS

SANGSAD BHABAN, April 12, 2018 (BSS) – The system loss in electricity distribution and transmission has significantly brought down to 12.19 percent during the last fiscal year. “We have successfully brought down distribution loss of the country’s whole electricity to 9.98 percent and transmission loss to 2.67 percent in 2016-17,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said, while replying to a starred question from opposition bench member Selim Uddin of Sylhet-5 in the Jatiya Sangsad today. He said the electricity distribution loss was 14.33 percent and…

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Pakistan urges China to soften terms for power deals

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has requested China for ease in payment obligations of over $30 billion worth of about 12,000-megawatt power projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to minimise its financial and economic difficulties. This is part of the ongoing government efforts to secure discounts and savings on power purchases from independent power producers (IPPs) as circular debt liabilities cross Rs2 trillion. A cabinet member told Dawn that Pakistan had formally taken up its difficulties with China for relief in power purchase prices at the highest level during the recent visit…

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Renegotiating capacity charges

There is no doubt that the current economic situation compels the power purchaser (the Power Ministry) to renegotiate the terms of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) of the IPPs (Independent Power Producers). It is necessary for all involved in this to engage in the spirit of accommodation rather than assert a cold-blooded prerogative based on written contracts that are backed by sovereign guarantees. The basic equation before is the proportion of capacity charges in the total electricity tariff. As we know the electricity payments made to the power producers have two…

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