Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the relevant authorities to accelerate the privatisation of power distribution and generation companies as part of ongoing reforms in the electricity sector.
Chairing a meeting on the power sector, the prime minister reviewed progress on generation, transmission and distribution reforms, as well as steps toward operationalising a competitive electricity market.
The meeting was informed that preparatory work was under way to privatise three power distribution companies IESCO, FESCO and GEPCO, and that Expressions of Interest would be published shortly.
The prime minister emphasized that privatisation of the energy system and the development of a competitive power market offered a sustainable solution to the country’s power sector challenges.
To improve system performance, the prime minister directed that ongoing development projects aimed at strengthening the power distribution network be completed on a priority basis.
The prime minister was also briefed that the PC I for the 500 kV Ghazi Barotha Faisalabad transmission line was at the approval stage.
Separately, the meeting was told that technical feasibility for shifting imported fuel based power plants to Thar coal had been completed, while work on the railway line to transport Thar coal to power plants was in progress.
To align the electricity system with modern requirements, the prime minister directed initiation of a Battery Energy Storage System project through public private partnerships with private sector participation. The meeting was informed that the concept clearance proposal for the project had been approved and that a feasibility study was under way.
The briefing further noted that line losses had declined compared to last year as a result of continuous reform efforts.
The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Khan Cheema and Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari, Advisor Muhammad Ali, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, and senior officials from relevant departments.
