ISLAMABAD: K-Electric (KE) has called on the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) to obtain feedback from the National Transmission and Distribution Company (NTDC) regarding the status of Category-III (Cat-III) wind projects, including the submission of the Request for Proposal (RFP) to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).
In a letter to PPIB Managing Director Shah Jahan Mirza, KE’s Chief Strategy Officer, Shaab Qader Khan, emphasized the urgency of including 480 MW of wind capacity—300 MW for Cat-III wind projects and 180 MW for other wind projects—into the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) for 2026-27. This inclusion, agreed upon during a meeting in January 2024, is critical to meeting regulatory requirements for the projects’ development.
KE shared a draft Energy Purchase Agreement (EPA) with PPIB in March and subsequently provided feedback on the draft RFP in May. Despite these efforts, KE noted that the IGCEP document published in May by NTDC and Nepra does not include the requested wind capacity. This omission could delay project progress, as Nepra’s regulations mandate that new power procurements must align with the approved Power Acquisition Program (PAP) based on IGCEP.
While PPIB requested NTDC in May to incorporate the required capacity into IGCEP, no response has been received to date. KE has urged PPIB to accelerate feedback from NTDC and provide updates on the RFP submission to Nepra, a key step for initiating the competitive bidding process.
Highlighting the importance of the project, KE noted its ratification by the 9th Apex Committee of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The project has the potential to attract significant foreign direct investment in Pakistan’s renewable energy sector.
“Our recent success in securing bids for three renewable projects at record low tariffs underscores our commitment to transitioning to clean energy. This project could serve as a bellwether for further investment in the sector,” stated KE’s Chief Strategy Officer.
Story by Mushtaq Ghumman
