ISLAMABAD:
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved K-Electric’s (KE) Bid Evaluation Reports (BERs) for two solar power projects and a 220 MW site-neutral hybrid project at the Dhabeji Grid Station. It also reviewed KE’s Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM) integration plan.
According to the details, NEPRA granted its approval for a 100 MWp solar PV project at Bela and a 50 MWp solar PV project at Winder, both located in Balochistan.
KE had conducted separate competitive bidding processes for these projects and submitted the BERs on August 28, 2024, under Regulation 11 of the National Competitive Bidding Tariff Regulations (NCBTR) 2017. Master Textile Mills Limited (MTML) emerged as the lowest responsive bidder for both projects, having cleared technical evaluations and submitted the lowest financial bids.
In its decision, NEPRA stated that the bidding process complied with regulatory requirements and its own directives. It further instructed KE to ensure that any delays in the execution of generation or transmission projects—whether caused by KE or the successful bidder—must not result in any financial burden on consumers. This condition must be incorporated into the relevant project agreements.
Similarly, NEPRA approved the BER for KE’s 220 MWp (AC Peak, with a +20% allowance) hybrid power project at Dhabeji, noting compliance with applicable regulations and the project’s inclusion in both the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) and the Power Acquisition Plan (PAP).
“This decision shall form the basis for regulatory processing of the tariff petition in accordance with the applicable laws, rules, and regulations,” stated NEPRA.
These approvals pave the way for the regulatory processing of tariff petitions for all three projects under the current legal and regulatory framework.
On the CTBCM integration front, NEPRA highlighted that KE’s participation in the new market model is contingent upon finalising commercial allocations of existing Power Purchase and Energy Purchase Agreements, and establishing a capacity invoicing mechanism for National Grid supply.
NEPRA emphasised that KE must align its operations with the CTBCM framework, including the central dispatch model, and finalise a revised tariff structure. KE is expected to file a new tariff petition reflecting these updates in accordance with market design requirements.
