KP governor seeks relief in inflated electricity bills

LAHORE:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has said that Pakistanis are extremely worried over exorbitant electricity bills, which caused tremendous economic hardships for the masses.

The people of Pakistan are rightly distressed over inflated electricity bills and it is government’s responsibility to provide necessary relief to people regarding this grave injustice.

He said this while addressing at Solar Power Conclave & Technology Excellence Awards 2024 organised by Energy Update in collaboration with Private Power and Infrastructure Board, Federal Ministry of Energy (Power Division) and Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) here at a local hotel on Thursday.

The KP governor said that the energy crisis has been deepening in Pakistan and it has caused huge problems for the people. The government must swiftly work towards resolving energy crisis in order to provide relief to the masses. He said that the government should utilise natural resources in a responsible manner. It must use solar and wind energy to provide cheap electricity to the people, especially from the lower-income households.

Kundi said that PPP has always worked for providing cheap electricity to the people in the country. “The Sindh government has been producing electricity from natural resources from Thar coal power plant and Jhimpir wind power plant,” he added. He emphasised the need to provide off-grid solar power solutions, urging the people to invest in energy sector in the country.

Earlier, Managing Editor, Energy Update and Chairman Organising Committee Naeem Qureshi delivered welcome address. During a panel discussion, Faizan Ali, Member of Prime Minister’s Solarisation Committee, said that the committee has prepared a proposal to induct 10 Giga Watt electricity through solarisation into the system in the next 10 years. “The proposal will be submitted to the Prime Minister in the next few days,” he said, adding that PM will then decide whether it will be generated through distributed scale or utility scale. “The distributed scale is the way to go, for it is least costing with greater benefits,” he said, adding that the government would not have to invest as the private companies will invest and produce the electricity.

Faizan further said that the government needs to encourage people for self-consumption of solar power rather than exporting units through net-metering. “The government may reduce buyback from Rs27 to Rs15 per unit, and instead incentivise the consumers in installing batteries,” he added.

Engr Faiz Bhutta lambasted Independent Power Producers (IPPs) as the medium of power generation, saying that distributed solar system must be embraced and implemented quickly. “At present, there is no concept of virtual power plant in Pakistan, which successfully functioning in developed countries,” he said, adding that it will help optimise usage and performance of batteries in the country. M Ahsan from Astro Energy and Usman Waheed from Sungrow also spoke at the panel discussion, which was moderated by Waqas Musa from Pakistan Solar Association (PSA).

Earlier, Hammad Nazir, a representative of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), presented a research study on Pakistan’s contribution in carbon emissions. “The public-private partnership (PPP) in energy sector is good, but the roles of the government and the private companies have been overlapping,” he said, adding that the roles need to be determined to perform the tasks effectively.

He said that Pakistan has committed under Paris Agreement that it would increase renewable energy to 30% in Pakistan by 2050 in addition to 30% of hydel energy, which will combine to fulfill 60% of the total energy requirement through clean energy sources in the country. “At current pace, we are nowhere near the path towards achieving this target,” he added.

Later, Faisal Karim Kundi distributed awards among representatives of the companies for excellence in various categories on domestic, commercial and industrial scale. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi visited the residence of senior PPP leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan on Thursday.

The KP governor inquired about the health of the PPP leader and presented him a bouquet. Both the leaders discussed current political situation of the country. The KP governor also held meetings with senior officials of federal government-run institutions and exchanged views over different matters.