Govt starts energy audit of CPPs

ISLAMABAD: The government has started the energy audit of gas-based captive power plants (CPPs) through an independent consultancy and has asked the power units to schedule a time for the audit.

The National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (Neeca) – a subsidiary under the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) – will carry out the process through the consulting firm.

It has so far mapped out geographical and technical profile of 1,141 CPPs. Out of the total, 781 CPPs are operating under the SSGCL and 360 under the SNGPL.

The Neeca’s Managing Director, Dr. Sardar Moazzam, has requested these CPPs to share a date and time on which the consultancy can visit the respective unit for audit, and to fill up the online captive power unit information form. The Neeca is engaged with the Petroleum Division, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and has developed strategic and technical working groups to streamline all the strategic, legal and operational formalities required for smooth execution of energy audit.

This audit is being carried out after the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) in its meeting on June 4 directed the Petroleum Division (Ministry of Energy) to revise efficiency benchmarks of CCPs on its own in consultation with stakeholders as the efficiency of most plants is below 50 per cent.

It noted that the audit was necessary in a situation when there was decline of natural gas resources with no sizeable gas discoveries, availability of power in the national grid, and the currently inefficient use of indigenous natural gas.

The Petroleum Division had on July 30 assigned the task of promoting efficient use of fast-declining indigenous natural gas resources to the Neeca), as well as directing them to utilize the excess power in the national grid.

The Neeca is acting as the focal federal agency for initiating, catalyzing, and coordinating the implementation of energy conservation activities in all sectors of the economy under the auspices of the Pakistan Energy Efficiency and Conservation Board headed by the Federal minister for Water and Power.