FAISALABAD City News

Nepra trying to promote electricity market

Consumers to purchase power from company of their choice

From Our Correspondent

FAISALABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is trying to promote a competition-based electricity market in Pakistan, enabling consumers to purchase electricity from the company of their own choice, said Director Consumers Affairs Imtiaz Hussain Baloch.

Addressing local industrialists and businessmen in the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), he said the fundamental responsibilities of Nepra is to issue license to power generating companies, fix the electricity tariff and implement Nepra laws as a regulatory in addition to protecting the rights and interests of end consumers. He admitted that the price of electricity is high in Pakistan as compared to the other regional countries but its main cause is that we are producing maximum costly electricity. He said after 1992 no major Hydel power plant was installed excluding an 84 mega watt Hydel unit which was established in private sector. He said that now efforts are being made to produce cheap electricity through coal fired power plants. He expressed hope that its impacts are expected to be passed on to the consumers after 2018. Baloch also endorsed a proposal of holding tariff determination meetings regarding Fesco in Faisalabad and assured that next meeting in this respect will definitely be held in Faisalabad. He said a comprehensive procedure has been worked out to purchase surplus electricity from the private sector and under this arrangement any power producer could give surplus electricity at one point and receive it back from another point. Regarding net metering in Faisalabad, he said that the person being discouraged in this respect by Fesco could file their cases to Nepra so that action could be taken against them accordingly. To a question about recovery of different taxes in electricity bills, he said their role is restricted to the tariff determination whereas the issue of taxation falls within the purview of government. He asked President Engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh to create a special cell in FCCI to deal with Nepra related issues so these could be speedily addressed. Earlier, FCCI president Engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh said that industry is imperative for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan while energy is prerequisite to keep the industrial wheel in motion.