Energy Ministry Spends Billions on Free Electricity for Employees

power-tariff

ISLAMABAD: Official documents presented in the National Assembly on Thursday revealed that the Energy Ministry spends billions of rupees annually on providing free electricity to over 200,000 current and retired employees. The records disclosed that these employees collectively consume 441.5 million units of electricity free of charge each year. Of this, 308.2 million units are allocated to serving employees, while…

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Senate Committee Scrutinizes NTDC Restructuring and Power Sector Reforms

NTDC-Power

Concerns Raised Over IPP Shutdowns, DISCOs’ Efficiency, and Cost of Electricity ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Mohsin Aziz, convened at Parliament House on Monday to review the government’s restructuring plan for the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) and evaluate its impact on the power sector. The Ministry of Power outlined its plan to divide…

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Nepra Announces Refunds for Power Consumers; Probes Delays in Lahore North Line

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ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved negative Fuel Cost Adjustments (FCA) for January’s bills, offering relief to power consumers of ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos) and K-Electric (KE). The refunds include a 76-paisa per unit adjustment for Discos’ consumers and a 49-paisa per unit adjustment for KE’s consumers. The adjustments were based on power consumption in November…

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KE Expresses Shock as Five Renewable Energy Projects Excluded from IGCEP 2024

K-Electric

ISLAMABAD: K-Electric (KE) has raised serious concerns over the exclusion of its five renewable energy projects from the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2024, currently in its finalization stages. The power utility has communicated its grievances to Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Leghari, citing previous correspondence and engagements with the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC). KE claims…

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Senator Seeks Accountability for Corruption in World Bank-Funded Grid Station Project

Power genration

ISLAMABAD: Senator Saifullah Abro, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, has urged Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Leghari to take action against National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) officials over alleged financial irregularities in the World Bank-funded 765kV Grid Station project at Islamabad West (Lot-IV). In a letter to the minister, Senator Abro highlighted serious concerns over…

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Govt to Split NTDC into Two Separate Entities Amid Performance Concerns

NTDC-House

ISLAMABAD: In response to the ongoing inefficiencies and mismanagement at the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), the federal government has decided to divide the entity into two distinct companies: National Grid Company Projects (Projects) and National Grid Company Assets (NGC Assets), sources revealed. NTDC, which has faced repeated criticism for outdated processes, corruption allegations, and delays in project execution,…

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Essential Services Law Extended for Power Sector to Prevent Disruptions Amid Restructuring

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ISLAMABAD: The government has extended the application of the Pakistan Essential Services Act to cover all entities involved in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity until January 25, 2025. This extension aims to prevent disruptions in power supply due to potential union activities during the ongoing restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). A notification issued by the Ministry of…

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NTDC Boosts Power Capacity with New 250 MVA Transformer at Sheikhupura Grid Station

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LAHORE: The National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) has successfully enhanced the power transmission capacity at the 500 kV Grid Station Sheikhupura by installing a new 250 MVA autotransformer. The augmentation involved replacing the existing 160 MVA, 220/132 kV autotransformer (T-8) with the more powerful 250 MVA, 220/132 kV autotransformer. The Project Delivery (North) Lahore team completed the installation…

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PPIB Expects KE’s Dhabeji Grid Station and NTDC Line to Mitigate Wind Project Curtailments

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The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) anticipates that the completion of KE’s 220 kV Dhabeji Grid Station and the NTDC transmission line will alleviate power curtailments for existing wind projects. Wind Independent Power Producers (WIPPs) recently highlighted increasing curtailments, primarily attributed to low local demand in the HESCO area and system-wide transmission constraints since 2022. PPIB notes that compensation…

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NTDC Under Scrutiny for Alleged Irregular Contract Awards and Internal Conflicts

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The National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has come under scrutiny for alleged irregularities in contract awards and internal conflicts, creating concerns within the Power Division. The Senate Standing Committee on Power has interrogated top officials from both the Power Division and NTDC multiple times regarding the awarding of contracts to ineligible bidders. Senior officials from the Power Division revealed…

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