Threat for govt plan to end loadshedding before 2018 

ISLAMABAD: The government’s plan to end loadshedding before 2018 elections will be in serious danger in the wake of lingering controversy between National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and executing agency of $2.2 billion worth transmission line projects between South-North and Matiari-Lahore under $46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The whole plan for generating additional electricity will become futile till 2018 for ending power outages if transmission lines of power sector for Port Qasim 1320MW and Engro power projects of the same capacity could not be completed within envisaged deadline.

The Port Qasim project is progressing well except land lease agreement so possibility of generating electricity can become reality before the envisaged deadline but it required transmission line to dispatch its supply.

The South-North Transmission line and Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line are part of CPEC initiative and the executing agency of this project is China’s State Grid (CET). The Cooperation Agreement on Matiari-Lahore and Matiari-Faisalabad Transmission Project was already signed. According to official presentation of Ministry of Water and Power, available with The News stating that the regulator Nepra framed various issues for tariff hearing and certain issues were required more deliberation between NTDC, Teshmont and CET.

In order to review and discuss these issues, a meeting was held in China’s capital Beijing from April 11-14, 2016. “In order to comply with international standards of such projects, Nepra required certain essential system studies wherein CET maintained that they will only conduct these studies upon the award of the project,” stated the Ministry of Water and Power. However, the executing agency CET is also reluctant to share the data requested by Nepra of CET’s such other projects in Brazil and China so this lingering controversy might harm the project of transmission lines.

Now the Nepra has hired international consultant hailing from Brazil and the regulator raised question on the cost of the project. For determining tariff, the Nepra required cost and whole data but the CET is unwilling to share its data that might cause delays in completion of this crucial project. This transmission line projects under CPEC are very important because they will play a crucial role for overcoming power loadshedding by 2018. If the additional power is made available by generating 10,000MW till 2018 it will be of no use if transmission line will not be installed from generating unit to main grid or desired destination point of the country.

This scribe contacted Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal for seeking his comments on Saturday, he said that the Ministry of Water & Power was asked to resolve these issues amicably because it was most crucial to ensure timely completion of around $2 billion transmission line projects of the power sector. “Now we have convened another meeting by next week to get latest update on these issues,” he said and asked this correspondent to get version from Ministry of Water and Power being the parent ministry of this project.

One top official working on these projects told The News that the Nepra had hired consultant who possessed expertise to determine its exact cost. “Efforts are underway to resolve this controversy in order to avoid delays but so far it could not be resolved,” the top official concluded.