Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif enjoys the reputation of a doer. He enjoys being known for doing things at speed. His current stint has not allowed him to show much speed given the firefighting jobs his government seems to be doing on a daily basis. Until a bright idea popped up. The rising energy prices that led to an import challenge…
Read MoreMonth: December 2022
Audit shows SSGC paid Rs6.27m for club memberships, facilities
The top management of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has violated a decision from its board of directors and reimbursed a multi-million-rupee club membership fee to over 25 executives. The company management had failed to honour the decision of the board of directors (BoD) of SSGC which had directed the management to immediately stop privileges including club membership facility…
Read MoreSuriname’s Oil Boom Is Far From Guaranteed
After a swathe of oil discoveries in offshore Suriname, primarily in Block 58, since the start of January 2020 there was considerable speculation that the former Dutch colony will be the next Guyana. Since the start of 2022, a series of challenging obstacles emerged which are threatening Suriname’s nascent oil boom and its potential to become a leading petroleum producing…
Read MoreChina Starts Work On The World’s Largest Desert-Based Renewable Energy Project
China has broken ground on a renewable energy project worth an estimated $11 billion in the province of Inner Mongolia. According to a Bloomberg report, the project will have a capacity of 16 GW and produce some 40 billion kWh of electricity to Beijing and the provinces of Tianjin and Hebei. The project will combine solar, wind, and upgraded coal power,…
Read MoreUK Government Could Face Lawsuit If It Implements A Windfall Tax On Renewables
A Cheshire wind farm developer has threatened to sue the UK government over its plans to impose a ‘windfall tax’ on renewables companies. Community Windpower – which owns 1.5 GW of UK wind generation capacity – has said it will take legal action to block the UK’s Electricity Generator Levy. The temporary tax imposes a 45 percent levy on “exceptional…
Read MoreMultipronged strategy seems working to avert severe gas crisis
The impact of the global energy crisis following the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the previous regime’s failure to take prudent steps had led to the fears that the nation would experience the worst-ever gas crisis during the ongoing high-demand winter season. Everything is not alright, however, the current coalition government’s multi-faceted strategy to tackle the situation seems working and so far…
Read MorePower import from Iran to Gwadar, Hub-Gwadar transmission line unreliable, susceptible to blackout
The Chinese company CIHC Pak Power Company Limited (CPPCL) working on 300MW Gwadar coal fired power project has termed the proposal for import of electricity from Iran to Gwadar and the proposed 600km 500KV transmission line from Hub to Gwadar as unreliable, susceptible to blackout due to technical or security concerns, which does not give investors the confidence to invest…
Read MoreNAB initiates inquiry in Thar water project irregularities
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has initiated inquiry into irregularities in Thar-Coal water project. The Supreme Court had directed the accountability watchdog last year to investigate the corruption charges in the project. The NAB Karachi in a letter to the Secretary Sindh Irrigation Department has demanded record of the project. The NAB has asked about the record of the spending…
Read MoreVillagers accuse mining firms of grabbing land
A large number of villagers staged a demonstration on Wednesday in protest against mining companies, accusing them of illegally appropriating over 9,000 acres land in their settlements for laying a pipeline from Nabisar to a reservoir in Weejhiar area within Thar coalfields without paying compensation to landowners. The protesters’ leaders complained to media persons that their land in 30 villages…
Read MoreCabinet approves giving Roosevelt Hotel on lease
The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved the decisions taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCoP) to hire a firm for giving Roosevelt Hotel in New York on lease. The Express Tribune had reported that the committee in its meeting held on Monday had asked the privatisation commission to appoint a financial adviser for leasing the hotel…
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