Category: Recent Post

The government’s decision to dishonour agreements with a dozen power plants may seriously dent its reputation, lead to loss of hard-earned gains of billions of rupees annually besides exposing it to paying over Rs22 billion to power plants to settle international arbitration awards. Six months ago, the government had won significant concessions from the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) by applying political force and using intelligence agencies’ stick. But it is now at the verge of losing these gains due to political expediency, a weak bureaucracy and undue interventions by the…

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Long-running inquiries by government departments into the oil crisis witnessed in June 2020 are hindering foreign direct investment (FDI) in oil marketing companies (OMCs) sector of Pakistan. In a statement on Wednesday, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo expressed concern over the “unfair practices of government departments and unjust treatment of smaller OMCs”. “The smooth functioning of OMCs is indispensable for any economy and consistent investments in midstream and downstream sectors are equally desirable,” he said. In the aftermath of the nationwide…

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K-Electric (K-E) has sought a national policy from the regulator to sell power at a comparatively higher price to the people residing in areas where line losses and theft through illegal connections (Kundas) are high and recoveries through monthly billing stand low. The company demanded the policy from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) ahead of the scheduled end to the exclusive rights of K-Electric for power supply to end-consumers in the city of ports – Karachi – and potential entry of other companies for the provision of electricity…

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Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy and Petroleum Tabish Gauhar, in a letter addressed to Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, has urged that strategies be chalked out and “holistic and structural reforms” made to address energy sector challenges. The four-page letter titled “Beyond The Fire Fighting – Proposed Strategic Workstreams In The Energy Sector”, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com and dated July 23, 2021, was also sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar — who…

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Reporting about 20 per cent increase in peak summer electricity demand, the government on Wednesday sought approval for an approximately $400 million energy sector loan by the World Bank (WB) by end-September. A senior government official told Dawn that a meeting of WB’s Board of Directors is expected on September 27 and the authorities are making efforts to address outstanding issues including finalisation of the Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) in advance to ensure smooth sailing. Informed sources said a visiting WB delegation – led by its vice president for…

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