Wind, solar projects: PPIB seeks details of LoIs issued by Punjab, Sindh

ISLAMABAD: The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has sought details of Letters of Intent (LoIs) of wind and solar projects issued by the gvernments of Punjab and Sindh, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.

Managing Director, PPIB, Shah Jahan Mirza, in letters to Secretary Energy Department, Sindh and Secretary Energy Department, Punjab, has cited the reference to the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) decisions conveyed by Ministry of Energy (Power Division) on April 4, 2019, in which Alternative Renewable Energy (ARE) projects that had received LoIs before the RE Policy 2006 expired on March 8 2018, but had not yet obtained a tariff/general licence from the NEPRA, were placed under Category-III.

According to Managing Director PPIB these projects were permitted to continue, provided they succeeded in the competitive bidding process to be conducted by the AEDB (now PPIB pursuant to Private Power & Infrastructure Board (Amendment Act, 2023) based on the quantum ascertained for each technology by NTDC under GCEP.

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Category-III included a total of 31 wind projects with a capacity of 2,139 MW and 59 solar PV projects with a capacity of 4,193 MW. The Council of Common Interests (CCI) also upheld the said CCoE decisions while approving the ARE Policy 2019 in August 2020.

To finalize a possible way forward for processing of Category –III projects, the matter was discussed in SIFC where a Committee under the chair of Minister for Energy (Power Division) has been constituted to provide recommendations on the way forward, the sources quoted Managing Director PPIB as saying in his letter.

Shah Jahan Mirza argued that in order to facilitate the Committee in finalizing the recommendations for Category-III solar and wind projects including finalization of total quantum/capacity for competitive bidding under category-III certain information related to projects/LoIs was issued by the both provinces (Energy Departments of Sindh and Punjab). Foregoing in view, Managing Director PPIB has requested both provinces that the information may be provided at the earliest enabling PPIB to do the same before the Committee for consideration and finalization of total quantum for competitive bidding under Category-III for consideration of CCoE.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024