Author: Admin

ISLAMABAD: The government is preparing to raise the issue of the controversial off-grid levy on captive power plants (CPPs) with the visiting International Monetary Fund mission, amid reports of over Rs100 billion in losses to the gas sector and adverse impacts on exports. Senior officials of the Petroleum Division said the levy, introduced under IMF programme conditions to shift industrial consumers towards grid electricity, has largely backfired. Although some increase in grid consumption was observed, it fell short of expectations due to inconsistent supply and technical disruptions — particularly in…

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ISLAMABAD: A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Iva Petrova, is scheduled to visit Pakistan on February 26 to conduct a review of the country’s $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the $1.1 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), officials said. The nearly two-week visit, concluding on March 11, will focus on assessing programme implementation as of end-December 2025. In addition, discussions will cover preliminary budget proposals for fiscal year 2026–27, particularly regarding provincial finances. Officials indicated that overall performance under the programme has remained largely…

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ISLAMABAD: The Power Division on Tuesday sought the support of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Power for exemption from the rupee cover requirement on projects financed by multilateral development partners, citing implementation delays and audit complications. Appearing before the committee, Secretary Power Dr. Fakhre Alam Irfan formally proposed that development projects funded by international donors be exempted from the rupee cover condition. The meeting was presided over by MNA Babar Nawaz Khan in the absence of Chairman Muhammad Idrees, who was unable to reach Islamabad due to road blockades.…

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ISLAMABAD: The Petroleum Division on Tuesday announced a new levy of Rs1,243 per million British thermal units (mmbtu) on off-grid captive power plants (CPPs) for December 2025. According to an official notification, the levy has been imposed under Section 3 of the Off-grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Act 2025, enacted earlier this year by Parliament. The measure applies to natural gas and RLNG consumed by captive power plants operating outside the national grid. The government aims to generate Rs105 billion in revenue from the levy during fiscal year 2025–26. As…

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