Govt committed to provide low-cost electricity: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that the federal government is committed to providing low-cost electricity to domestic and other consumers along with implementing measures to create economic stability, ARY News reported

Speaking to the newly appointed chairmen and board members of the power distribution companies (Discos) here in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz said that the government and all of its relevant departments are purely focused to offering affordable electricity to domestic and other industrial consumers.

“Our sole focus is to reduce power prices to provide relief to domestic consumers, agriculture, industry, exports, and business sectors. This is inevitable to steer the economy of prevailing issues. The competitiveness of exports is linked with the cheap electricity,” the prime minister said.

Calling the low-cost electricity and efficient power transmission system the major factors for a stable economy, PM Shehbaz said he and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) are focused on achieving the targets.

The prime minister said that the government would publicly recognise the Discos members and heads who would put in their maximum efforts to bring improvements, but those failing to do so would neither be spared nor would remain part of the team.

He said through a lengthy process, the government had appointed highly competent and experienced people in Discos purely on merit by doing away with the political appointees.

PM Shehbaz said the newly appointed chairmen and members have great challenges ahead which necessitated working hard day and night to purge the Discos of mismanagement and corruption.

He said the power theft had swelled to around annual Rs500 billion mainly due to connivance with the Discos staffers who are also the reason behind destroying the institutions.

“This is the greatest challenge for you. The government has made deliberations as to how the system should be improved. You will have to show your best,” PM Shehbaz said.

He said that the circular debt touched Rs2300 billion – almost one-third of the country’s total receipts of Rs9 trillion last year. Can a country be run with such a huge burden?” he questioned.

Highlighting the issues of line losses and weak transmission systems, he instructed the immediate launch of smart metering in some of the Discos.

He told the meeting that the government is in talks with China to run power plants with a mix of coal to save $1 billion annually.

PM Shehbaz recalled the installation of LNG plants during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure almost a decade ago with 63% efficiency and almost on half of the NEPRA tariff which manifested the government’s commitment and willingness to bring improvement.