Islamabad : July 31, 2024 : The National Electricity Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has played a key role in trapping Pakistan’s energy sector by granting extensions to a number of obsolete power plants which have charged rather grabbed trillions of rupee from power consumers. These plants were granted licenses by NEPRA under mischievously drafted Power Policy 1994 . A study conducted by Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) have drafted a report on how Power Policy 1994 have damaged Pakistan through one-sided agreement signed by Pakistan People Party (PPP) government to promote a culture of corruption in the of Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The power policy makers of Pakistan intentionally signed one-sided rather harmful agreements with IPPs and set a stage for a complete collapse of Pakistan’s energy sector. These IPPs and their promoters have plundered unaccountable financial resources of Pakistan and they are still sucking financial resources of Pakistan. The promotors of IPPs and those who renewed licenses to IPPs have literally make Pakistan hostage to IPPs mafia. CRSS give an insight to evil minded political leaders and money lusty burocrats of Pakistan. Go through an extracted portion of CRSS report to have an idea how NEPTA is playing a role of destructor of Pakistan and there is no authority in this country to stop it. Its extremely painful development and corrupt rulers and money hungry technocrats are fleecing the power consumers beyond one’s thinking.
The National Power System Expansion Plan (2011–2030) calls for the retirement of a sizeable portion of current thermal power plants—6,935 MW—by NTDC, the party that signs power purchase agreements with IPPs. According to this plan from NTDC, a company that used to purchase electricity from IPPs, 127.5 MW of Gull Ahmad Energy and 123.5 MW of Tapal were scheduled to retire in 2019–20. However, NEPRA also approved a ten-year license extension for them. One of the primary causes of the endless cycle of debt that is currently causing instability in Pakistan is the horrible crime committed by NEPRA, which was to grant generation licenses to outdated and inefficient plants. The nation would have avoided financial catastrophe if NEPRA had not decided to extend their generation
NEPRA, other govt. departments working in Unisom to deepen Pakistan’s energy crisis CRSSS report
Arif Rana is the Chief Editor and senior correspondent, Islamabad based journalist, who did his Master in English Literature from Government College University Lahore.