New law to attract private investment in power distribution sector

ISLAMABAD: Government is mulling changes in energy laws to lure private investment in supplying of electricity to consumers, power minister said on Thursday.

Minister for Power Division Awais Leghari, in a meeting with the officials of Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA), said the new law after amendments in the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority Act will open door for potential private power supply companies and create a healthy competitive environment for better service delivery for the electricity consumers.

“Existing public sector electric supply companies must improve its service delivery or they will face tough competition from the private sector companies,” Leghari said in a statement. “In order to provide better service delivery, the public sector electric supply companies (Discos) have to work hard in reducing losses, bring in innovative modern technological solutions, train its manpower to face the challenges and must be consumer oriented.”

Power minister, taking note of high losses feeders, said government is also considering an option of providing incentives for the staff and officers who succeed in reducing the losses to given targets. “Pepco (Pakistan Electric Power Company) and the ministry (of energy) are already tasked to work the proposals to final shape.

The minister told the meeting that he had directed the concerned authorities to allocate sufficient funds to procure equipment necessary to ensure safety of the workers at different levels. “It is our priority to provide secure environment to the electricity workers.” The federal minister said the government is considering a policy to evaluate the existing position of the public sector generation facilities in the future electricity generation scenario “as to whether these have the capacity to withstand the new parameters or withdraw.”

He further said directions have been passed to lift ban on necessary recruitments in the Discos. The CBA General Secretary Khursheed Ahmed said the employees are willing to work even better if they are provided with better working gears.