Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has directed for greater coordination among Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB) and Pakistan LNG Terminals Limited (PLTL) to ensure availability and maximum utilization of gas for the power sector. The directives came from him here on Friday at a meeting held to review power generation and demand supply situation in the country, projected estimates of power generation and the expected demand in the coming four months starting from November 2017 to February 2018.
The Prime Minister was informed that average demand for the next four months, calculated on the basis of data received from various Discos stands at around 14,452MW while the average net firm generation after deducting any unforeseen outages from IPPs and GENCOS would remain at 16,865MW approximately. The meeting was informed that the projected power surplus for the next four months has been estimated to range between 2,400MW to 3,400MW approximately.
Taking into account the projected figures, the Prime Minister directed that less-efficient power plants should be closed in a phased manner and every effort should be made to convert oil-based plants into gas-based plants in the shortest possible time in view of availability of ample gas for the power sector.
The conversion of oil-based plants into gas-based plants and maximizing the efficiency of the existing power plants would not only reduce oil import bill of the country but would also ensure maximum availability of power, observed the Prime Minister.
Abbasi also directed all relevant stakeholders to increase coordination among themselves for optimum utilization of the available resources and ensuring maximum efficiency in the power sector. Decisions on policy matters, said the Prime Minister, should not be kept lingering as such type of ambivalence creates uncertainty and negative sentiments for the investors. The Prime Minister also emphasized timely completion of the ongoing projects and directed the heads of the relevant organizations to come up with timelines for completion of the ongoing power sector projects.
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