Nepra forms body to modify proposed IGCEP 2047

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Wednesday after receiving objections on the proposed Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2047, constituted a committee comprised of professionals from energy sector to fine-tune the plan by mid-August 2020.

National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) had submitted the IGCEP 2047 to the Authority as a least-cost generation expansion plan to cater for the future energy requirements of the country.

In view of the importance of the matter, the authority previously sought comments of the stakeholders and decided to have a public hearing regarding Integrated Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP 2020-2047) which was held via video link on Wednesday. The committee was constituted after the provinces, Azad Kashmir, key public/private sector stakeholders and experts raised objection to the proposed plan. They termed it unrealistic and overambitious.

The plan envisages addition of 148,074 MWs of electricity to the national grid by 2047. This includes 45,929 MWs hydro-based electricity, local coal 32697 MW, RLNG 27090 MWs, Solar 26,522 MW, Wind 9241 MWs, Nuclear 3300 MWs, imported coal 1620 MWs, Cross Border 1000 MWs, Bagasse 655 MWs and Gas 20 MWs.

Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz asked for focusing on power generation through indigenous resources and added that instead of long-term plan, there should be short-term planning for power generation.

Representative of the Punjab government said that Captive Power Plants (CPP), Net Metering by residential, commercial, agriculture and industrial consumers, is not accounted for by the IGCEP and this will surely have an impact on short-term, medium-term and long-term planning.

Sindh government’s Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh alleged that his province has not been taken in confidence while formulating the plan. “We have sent 78 projects to be included in the plan, while only 21 were added to the plan, he said. He urged the government to focus more on development and up gradation of transmission and distribution system.

Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan who participated via video link requested to include maximum of their projects in the long term plan. In its comment the M/s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co Ltd (KHNP) (which is partner with KP government in hydro project) term the plan allocation of Capacity Development unrealistic. It was observed by the KHNP that during Phase-1 2020-30 only 10,830 MW (of total 45929 MW hydro based electricity) or 21% of total capacity developed. Most of the hydropower development projects of 35099 MW are postponed to phase-2 from 2030 to 2047.

Besides, the company also raised question for making Wapda a major stake holder of hydropower sector of country by developing 33765 MW of total planned capacity. It seems unrealistic that a public sector organisation can arrange this level of funding.

As per the AJK concern time frame for their projects have been pushed down by almost twenty five years from now and they will be considered for development in years 2040-2045. They said that the investor are reluctant to invest due to IGCEP and requested Nepra to direct NTDC to reconsider and revised the proposed plan.