Category: Shortcode

IMF Mission Director: If Pakistan Implements Reforms, This Could Be Its Last IMF Programme

Admin
pak-imf

KARACHI: Nathan Porter, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission for Pakistan, has indicated that the ongoing IMF programme could be Pakistan’s last, provided the country implements the recommended economic reforms in full. In an interview with Voice of America, Porter emphasized that genuine commitment to these reforms could lead to lasting economic stability. Following the IMF’s approval of the debt programme, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that this would be Pakistan’s final IMF programme. Porter echoed this sentiment, noting that while Pakistan faced significant economic uncertainty in…

Read More

Protected Electricity Consumers to Receive Subsidy via E-Vouchers

Admin
power-tariff

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (MPA&SS) has announced plans to provide direct subsidies to protected domestic electricity consumers through E-vouchers. According to sources, the Benazir Income Support Fund (BISP) will collaborate with the Power Division to implement the scheme. In a meeting, several key decisions were made: BISP will share PMT-based (Proxy Means Test) data with the Power Division.The Power Division, in coordination with distribution companies (DISCOs), will issue E-vouchers to consumers via registered mobile numbers verified by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).The State Bank of…

Read More

Experts Urge Simplified Power Tariff Structure for Consumer Relief

Admin
power-subsidy

Webinar Highlights Need for Clearer Policies and Public Awareness ISLAMABAD: Experts at a webinar organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Tuesday emphasized the urgent need to simplify Pakistan’s electric power and tariff structures to ease the burden on consumers. The session highlighted that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and the Ministry of Energy set electricity tariffs, leaving independent power producers (IPPs) and distribution companies (DISCOs) unable to alter rates independently. The webinar also marked the release of SDPI’s latest booklet, Understanding Electric Power System and…

Read More

Gas suspension to CPPs under IMF’s agreement to trigger widespread closure of industries, warns Bilwani

Admin
Gas-tariff

KARACHI: President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) Muhammad Jawed Bilwani, while expressing sheer dismay over the government’s decision to suspend gas supply to Captive Power Plants (CPPs) by 2025, warned that this decision taken under IMF’s agreement would lead to widespread closure of medium and large-scale industries as significant investments made in these plants would go down the drain which cannot be borne by any industry whereas the industries cannot rely on unstable electricity supply of power distribution companies.“Shutting down captive power plants is, undoubtedly, a wrong move,…

Read More

PPIB Approves Three-Year Extension for Kohala Hydropower Project’s Financial Close

Admin
Hydropower

ISLAMABAD: The Board of the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has granted a three-year extension to the financial closing deadline for the 1,124 MW Kohala Hydropower Project, a key China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative. The extension, which spans from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027, comes without an extension fee, recognizing the project’s strategic importance and significant foreign direct investment. During a recent board meeting chaired by Secretary Power Division, Dr. Fakhar Alam Irfan, it was acknowledged that several factors beyond the developer’s control had delayed progress. These…

Read More