National Energy Conference

For the third year running, the government has pulled the same old trick of a five-day workweek and early market closure to combat the pressing power crisis in the country. The National Energy Conference (NEC) held in Lahore again stressed heavily on demand-side management and should and must rather than strengthening the supply-side and will and would.
Equitable loadshedding across the country was also announced by the honourable Prime Minister, to ease Punjabs concerns over discriminatory treatment. Although, it is too premature to suggest that this measure would actually take place, especially after the 18th Amendment, as all provinces are yet to be on board and other stakeholders are yet to submit their suggestions and concerns.
The conference was strongly critical of the previous government for not adding to the countrys installed generation capacity and rightly so. The PM was quick to point out that the current government has added 3,400 MW in installed capacity-laudable indeed, but he must be reminded that electricity generation has actually dipped from 98,000 Gwh when the government took charge, to 94,653 Gwh at present.
This is where the problem lies - merely adding capacity is not the answer - running idle plants and ensuring enough liquidity for the plants to be operational is.
Similarly, the circular debt problem has gone from bad to worse, and all that gets to be heard from the government is either blaming it on the past government or making false promises to wipe it off with TFCs and other such injections. The NEC stressed on developing and improving the clearinghouse to settle the receivables and payables in the energy chain. But the clearinghouse only works as the executing body, it does not offer any solution to the root cause of circular debt.
It is high time the government takes measures to counter gas and power theft and abuse of natural gas especially in the domestic sector. Both topics were touched in the NEC but were only confined to what needs to be done rather than laying out a concrete workable plan. That solar geysers should replace gas ones is a decade-old idea, yet it remains one the
ice-to-do list rather than the o-do list.
Its not all doom and gloom though, as the government has decided to expedite the distribution of free CFL bulbs. Had that been done three years earlier as per ADB recommendations, it would have resulted in huge savings of 1,280 MW - and the government wouldn be forced to take actions such as early market closures which do not please everyone. However, it is never too late and one hopes that CFL bulbs yield the desired result.
On a concluding note, it is alright to have conferences and form committees after committees, but actions should speak louder than words, which, sadly, has not been the case. It is not that Pakistan does not have a well thought out energy future plan since it is pretty much there (Integrated Energy Plan 2010-2025) eating dust in the shelves in Islamabad. Should that be implemented in letter and spirit, Pakistan can ensure energy security in the years to come.