KP govt to establish provincial electricity regulatory authority

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced plans to set up a provincial regulatory authority aimed at improving the electricity transmission system. 

The government is currently evaluating different options for the structure and functions of the authority.

To support this initiative, a consultant has been formally appointed to develop a regulatory authority akin to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). 

The consultant will draft the necessary legislation, ensuring it complies with constitutional and legal requirements. Once the draft is prepared, it will be submitted to the provincial cabinet for approval, and if approved, will be presented to the provincial assembly to become law.

Last year, Muzzammil Aslam, Advisor to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Finance, hinted that the provincial government planned to establish its own electricity regulatory authority. The goal was to directly sell the inexpensive hydropower generated in the province to local industries. 

Aslam also mentioned that a transmission and grid company had already been set up to facilitate the direct supply of cheap hydropower to the industrial sector at favorable rates.