Power generation increases 6% in November

KARACHI: Power generation in the country increased by over 6.0 per cent in November of the current fiscal year compared to the same month last year, driven by higher electricity output from hydel, nuclear and gas sources. This growth was accompanied by a 2.0 per cent rise in the cost of electricity generation during the month, according to data released on Wednesday.

The data showed that power generation rose by 6.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in November, reaching 8,032GWh or 11,156MW, compared to 7,547GWh or 10,482MW in the same month last year. However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, power generation fell by 21.7 per cent. For the first five months of the current fiscal year (July-November), power generation declined by 3.9 per cent YoY to 58,840GWh or 16,024MW, compared to 61,256GWh or 16,682MW in the same period last year.

In November, actual power generation exceeded the reference generation by 0.8 per cent for the second consecutive month, which is likely to positively impact the upcoming quarterly tariff adjustment, according to a report by Arif Habib Limited. Hydel-based generation increased by 3.8 per cent YoY, reaching 2,860GWh compared to 2,755GWh in the same period last year, though it was 1.7 per cent lower than the reference generation. RLNG-based generation rose by 13.7 per cent YoY and was 9.9 per cent higher than the reference generation. Gas-based generation grew significantly, recording a 23.5 per cent YoY increase, and exceeded the reference generation by 42.3 per cent. Nuclear-based generation also increased by 5.3 per cent YoY, though it remained 17 per cent lower than the reference generation for the month.

Imported coal-based power generation saw a slight decline of 1.9 per cent YoY but stood 62.2 per cent higher than the reference generation set at the beginning of FY25. Local coal-based power generation increased by 3.2 per cent YoY to 1,019GWh. Solar-based power generation posted notable growth, rising by 38 per cent YoY from 50GWh to 69GWh, although it was 8.0 per cent lower than the reference generation. Meanwhile, wind-based power generation declined sharply, falling by 33.8 per cent YoY from 148 GWh to 98 GWh and was 36.4 per cent below the reference generation for the month.

The cost of electricity generation from imported coal rose by 3.0 per cent during November, while the cost of nuclear-based power generation surged by 43 per cent. In contrast, RLNG-based power generation costs fell by 2.0 per cent, and local coal-based power generation costs decreased by 3.0 per cent. The share of hydel in total power generation for November stood at 35.6 per cent, followed by nuclear at 20.8 per cent, local coal at 13.1 per cent, and RLNG at 10.6 per cent.