Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari recently addressed the pressing issue of high electricity costs in Pakistan during the National Youth Convention. In his speech, he clarified that the country’s actual power generation capacity stands at 29,000 MW, contrary to the commonly believed figure of 45,000 MW. This discrepancy highlights the challenges Pakistan faces in meeting its energy demands.Leghari shared that the government is planning to implement significant changes concerning Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
These upcoming reforms are expected to bring substantial benefits to both the general public and the industrial sector, aiming to alleviate some of the financial burdens associated with electricity costs.Additionally, Leghari proposed a controversial but potentially impactful solution to reduce costs. He suggested that by enduring 85 hours of load shedding annually, the country could save Rs 50 billion. If the duration were increased to 874 hours of load shedding, the savings could rise to an impressive PKR 100 billion in capacity payments.
These savings could be redirected to other crucial areas, potentially boosting the country’s economic stability.Overall, his speech shed light on the urgent need for energy reform in Pakistan and outlined steps the government plans to take to address these issues, ensuring a more sustainable and cost-effective energy supply for the future.
