President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) Mian Zahid Hussain has stressed that apart from new projects, government should also focus on existing projects, improve transmission and distribution system, overcome losses and theft, which is equal to 360 billion rupees per year otherwise all the initiatives will remain counterproductive.
He said that currently the country had a power generation capacity of 24,000 megawatts and increasing production meant increased losses if system was not reformed. Mian Zahid Hussain, while lauding the initiatives of the government to overcome energy outages, said that economic and energy managers must ensure timely completion of the ongoing projects by removing all the hurdles. He said power generation would be improved by 13,200MW within two years, adding the total power generation capacity would be hiked by 53,400MW which would result in surplus electricity settling energy crisis forever. He said the government was in process of converting Guddu and Nandipur power plants on gas, two coal-fired power plants were being built at Sahiwal and Port Qasim, three LNG-based power plants were being constructed on fast pace in Punjab, two nuclear power plants were in stage of completion while work on Neelum-Jhelum power project and Turbela four extension project was being completed.
Discos had failed to recover outstanding bills which had reached to 684 billion rupees, he said and warned that the resignation of Chairman Wapda, Chief Executive of Neelum-Jhelum project and protest of CEO of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company might not go down well with some stakeholders of the energy market.