ISLAMABAD: Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has accused National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) of interfering into its domain in violation of rules of Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM).

In a letter to Iftikhar Ali Khan, Director Legal (NEPRA), Mehr-un Nisa Arshad Deputy Director, Law, PPIB has conveyed the concerns of the latter on intrusion of its jurisdiction with respect to Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market.

“We regrettably note that despite clarification by PPIB on September 02, 2021, NEPRA is continuously but erroneously assuming various tasks under the implementing roadmap to be done by PPIB which actually are assigned to other GOP entities. Perhaps NEPRA has not yet duly registered the precise actions and role attributed to PPIB under implementing roadmap,” she said in her letter.

PPIB further noted that instead of acknowledging and appreciating PPIB’s strenuous, ongoing-efforts to bring the novel competitive electricity market to fruition, NEPRA is attributing purported delay on the part of PPIB which is factually unsubstantiated.

Significant resources, time and efforts have been devoted by PPIB to diligently complete all tasks related to the transition assigned, she said, adding that PPIB is fully cognizant of its assigned tasks under the implementation roadmap and is consistently working on a daily basis to ensure their early conclusion.

PPIB, in its letter of 21, 2021 also provided NEPRA with a comprehensive update, on progress with outstanding tasks falling within its purview pursuant to the implementation roadmap. In this regard, attention was drawn towards certain unavoidable obstacles to the completion of the pending tasks, which solely hinge upon extraneous processes falling outside the sphere of PPIB’s organizational domain. Moreover through the letter of October 21, 2021 it was clarified that contrary to NEPRA misunderstanding, the-outstanding tasks were largely contingent upon prior action and processes to be carried out by the competent authorities responsible for their completion.

Unfortunately, such actions are inextricably intertwined with the conclusion of pending tasks falling within PPIB/AEDB’s field of operation. In view of this, PPIB has advised NEPRA to directly contact the competent authority responsible for completion of correlated tasks and to request for their expeditious conclusion in order that PPIB may conclude the outstanding contingent tasks identified in the implementation roadmap.

PPIB argues that some of these outstanding tasks fuelling purported delays are/were attributable to delayed and/or pending actions oh NEPRA’s part itself, details of which are as follows: as far as amendments to the Power Generation Policy 2015 and ARE Policy 2019 are concerned, PPIB as per its statutory role to assist the competent forum in formulation of power policies has already sent an initial draft entitled the “Policy Framework for Power Generation 2021” to Ministry of Energy (Power Division) on February 12, 2021 and now further process of consultation and finalization is to be undertaken by Power Division.

PPIB has advised NEPRA to directly approach Power Division for latest status on the matter. It will also be apt to record here that substantial work on the power policy has already been completed, yet some of its aspects cannot be finalized unless the National Electricity Plan is finalized and this interrelation and dependence upon the Plan is unavoidable due to the intertwined nature of the documents. The organisation which is providing one window operation to private sector has advised NEPRA to contact the concerned quarter and request for prompt finalization of the National Electricity Plan.

As far as the finalization of the Security Package Documents (SPDs) is concerned, PPIB claims that it has taken notable steps to ensure that the process is all-inclusive with pro-active involvement of all stakeholders.

In a meeting held on October 06, 2021 under the chairmanship of Managing Director PPIB, all stakeholders (including NEPRA) were informed that a Working Group of Stakeholders was being constituted which will actively involve stakeholders in the preparation of SPDs. Furthermore, all stakeholders were requested at the meeting and via letter to forward names of their nominees for membership of the said working group. PPIB received nomination from NEPRA, CPPA-G, AEDB and a couple of DISCOs, whereas NTDC and rest of the DISCOs have not yet responded.

As far as the merger of PPIB/AEDB is concerned, the draft Bill has already been passed by Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) and after ratification of such decision by Federal Cabinet it will be submitted for discussion and disposal by National Assembly as per due procedure and will also be pursued vigorously with concerned quarters. Again, PPIB or AEDB have no control or jurisdiction over this final limb of the process.

PPIB has requested NEPRA to complete outstanding tasks pending on its part to ensure that timelines under the work plan for SPD preparation are met and certain tasks under the implementation roadmap are timely completed. Moreover, NEPRA may approach the concerned authorities responsible for disposing of the delayed tasks and request for their expeditious disposal.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021