Committee constituted to resolve KE’s issues

ISLAMABAD: Government on Monday constituted a committee to resolve issues faced by K-Electric and for its performance appraisal after recently allowing the private company to adjust fuel charges retrospectively in electricity bills and committing additional power supply.

The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by Minister for Power and Petroleum Omar Ayub, and attended by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Power Shahzad Qasim, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Chairman Tauseef Faruqi, Secretary Power Omer Rasul, chairman and members of K-Electric Board, and officials of Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) and power division.

The committee, headed by Additional Secretary Power Waseem Mukhtar, consists of Additional Secretary Petroleum Division and representatives from Nepra, NTDC, KE, CPPA and power division, according to a news statement.

The Supreme Court last week took notice of load shedding and electrocution in Karachi. The court ordered the government to ensure one-window operation to solve KE’s issues and ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Minister Ayub directed the KE to arrange pumps and other machinery for drainage of water from sub-stations of electricity across the city, besides preparing lists of all such stations where rainwater was converged.

Sui Southern Gas Company was directed to increase gas supply to power plants operating in Korangi, which would help generate additional 100 to 150 megawatts electricity for KE.

Faruqi told the meeting about the public hearing held in the light of the Supreme Court directives and decisions taken to redress the grievances.

The NTDC assured the meeting to expedite work on transmission line in Jamshoro and complete it by next year to supply additional 400MW of electricity to the KE through the grid.

The power division initiated coordination with the cabinet and ministry of law over appointment of members of Nepra Appellate Tribunal and chairman as per the apex court directives.

The power division has already written to the cabinet division for appointment of the Nepra Appellate Tribunal members and chairman.

The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet approved a summary moved by the power division for the rationalisation of 11 quarterly adjustments of K-Electric from July 2016 to March 2019.

The quarterly adjustments of K-Electric for the period from July 2016 to March 2019 are to be notified with effect from 1st September.

KE has already adjusted Rs1.2 billion retrospectively to consumers on account of bank charges and meter rents from July 2016 in line with the revised multi-year tariff. The decision was according to the Nepra’s tariff terms and conditions notified by the power division. There was no increase in tariffs for residential consumers having consumption of up to 300 units.