Some IPPs being paid Rs 750 per unit for electricity: Gohar Ejaz

LAHORE: The government buying electricity from some power plants at the rate of Rs 750 per unit, former caretaker minister Gohar Ejaz said in a social media statement on Sunday.

The government purchasing Rs 200 per unit electricity in average from the coal power plants, he further said. “The wind and solar power units being paid above 50 rupees per unit,” he said.

The most expensive IPPs have been paid Rs. 1.95 trillion, he said in a tweet. “The government is paying 140 billion rupees to a power plant on 15 pct load factor,” former minister said. “Another plant being paid 120 billion rupees over 17 pct load factor and the third power plant being paid 100 billion over on 22 pct load factor,” he added.

“These are only three power plants, getting 370 billion rupees,” Gohar Ejaz said.

The IPPs given big capacity amounts without generating electricity, he disclosed. “These plants 52 % owned by the government and 28 percent by the private sector,” he said.

“The electricity being sold to us on 60 rupees per unit owing to these corrupt contracts,” he said.

“It is the duty of everyone to raise voice against these contracts with 40 families, to save the country,” he said.

Former minister said that he is now leaving it to the nation to take decision on the IPPs. “There is a clause of “capacity payments” in all these contracts that allows inflated profits,” Gohar Ejaz said. He said, due to this clause staggering capacity payments made to the IPPs,” he added.

The former minister earlier disclosed that heavy payments of Rs 450 billion were made to the independent power producers (IPPs) in first three months of the current year.

He had also demanded representation to all stakeholders in the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).

“The government should not run its business with the public money and must avoid excesses with power consumers,” he added.

He had also demanded the record of capacity payments made to the IPPs should be made public and the data of their generation costs should also be disclosed.

He also demanded that the agreements with the IPPs should be converted into “take and pay” mode.