Pakistan's Energy & Water - News and Updates

[ghazi52]

Duty on solar energy plants reduces

Thursday, 24 Jun, 2010

ISLAMABAD: In order to minimize the persistent energy crisis in Pakistan, Ministry of Environment announced on Thursday lowering of duties that were imposed on solar energy plants.

During a press conference held in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Environment Hameedullah Jan said that at present duty on solar energy products is 28 per cent which is to be reduced to five to six per cent.

For that mater a summary will shortly be presented to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

Jan stated that after reducing the duties, solar energy products will be available at cheaper rates in Pakistan.

Private solar company’s Director Naveed Iqbal also requested the Environment Minister to halt the influx of ‘B’ and ‘C’ class solar energy plants from China.
— DawnNews
DAWN.COM | Business | Duty on solar energy plants reduces

 

[ghazi52]

Accord on 1,000MW electricity from Iran in August
By Kalbe Ali
Thursday, 24 Jun, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf will visit Iran in August to sign an agreement for importing 1,000MW of electricity.

The decision about the minister’s visit was taken at a meeting between Mr Ashraf and Iranian Ambassador Mashallah Shakeri here on Wednesday. The ambassador briefed the minister on a power transmission line from Iran to Gwadar.

Pakistan plans two projects for importing electricity from Iran. Work on a project to import 100MW for Gwadar has already been initiated. The $3.1 million project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.

Pakistan is already importing 39MW from Iran for border areas and Gwadar.

A power ministry official said that a feasibility report on the 1,000MW project would be completed this month. “A 700km transmission line will be installed at a cost of $500m,” the official said, adding that the project was expected to be completed in five years.

According to a press release, the minister and the ambassador agreed that technical experts of both countries would examine the project. “It has been decided that Mr Ashraf will visit Iran within the next couple of months for further deliberation on the project and its early completion,” it said.

After completion of the feasibility report technical-level talks are expected to be held in the last week of July to decide the tariff.

Sources said that negotiations for revision of tariff for the 39MW being imported since 2003 were under way as sought by the Iranian exporting company.

DAWN.COM | Front Page | Accord on 1,000MW electricity from Iran in Aug

 

[Hyde]

Coal power generation by 2015-16: Sindh CM​

Monday, June 28, 2010

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah informed Sindh Assembly on Monday that expected date of Thar coal based power production by Engro is 2015-16.

He pointed out that feasibility of an approximately 600-1000 MW Thar Coal-based Power Plant will be carried out by Engro Power Gen Ltd which is estimated to take 18 months and further 6-12 months of financial close.

He was replying to a question of Heer Ismail Soho during question hour.

He said no committee has been formed consisting of Secretary Mines and Engro head for development of Thar. However, in line with Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Engro Group a J.V. company "Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company Limited (SECMCL)" has been incorporated under the Companies Ordinance.

Qaim Ali who also holds the portfolio of Coal and Energy Development, pointed out that this J.V Company is being run by its Board of Directors comprising ten directors, six from Engro and four from Sindh Government. The Board of Directors is as per the J.V ratio of 60:40 (40% GOS).

He said Government of Sindh has entered into Joint Venture Agreement with Engro Group for development of coal mining in Thar Coalfield Block-II with share of 40% GOS and 60% Engro Group.

He said Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company Limited has been incorporated with initial capital of Rs. 199.200 million (40% share of Government of Sindh and Rs. 298 million (60% share by Engro Group), for detailed feasibility study in first phase.

To another question of same member, Chief Minister said the company would oversee the first "project" for an open cast mining facility with and annual capacity of 3.5 - 6.5 MT for which a detail feasibility study (DFS) will be carried out.

He said the company will ensure that adequate skill development programs are put in place along with other training facilities for locals of the area. He said 2% of profit before tax to be spent on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related activities in Thar.

 

[bc040400065]

Nepra raises power tariff by 7.6%

June 30, 2010


The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority announced a 7.6 per cent hike in power tariff on Wednesday.

The new power tariff will come into effect from Thursday and it will be implemented for all power consumers.

Nepra says the power tariff was not increased in April due to limited power generation and power shortages, but the tariff has been revised as regular power supply resumed in the country.


Nepra raises power tariff by 7.6% – The Express Tribune

 

[Hyde]

PEPCO provides power connection to 10,684 villages in FY 2010 ​

Friday, July 02, 2010

LAHORE: Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) electrified 10684 villages in the fiscal year 2009-10 despite an acute electricity shortage in the country, said its Director General Energy Management and Conservation Engineer Muhammad Khalid.

Khalid, while talking to the media on Thursday, said the availability of electricity was the right of every citizen, so it had to be provided to as many people as possible regardless its shortage.

He said Faisalabad Electric Supply Company, Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Islamabad Electric Power Company, Lahore Electric Supply Company, Multan Electric Power Company, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company, Peshawar Electric Supply Company, Quetta Electric supply Company (QESCO) and Tribal electric Supply Company electrified 1,127, 208, 655, 707, 2,268, 2,719,1,141,1,697 and 162 villages respectively. In addition, the DG said around 1,303 villages were electrified by PEPCO.

Talking about the anomaly in QESCO remit, he said the main cause of the prolonged hours of power outages of 6 hours in urban and 16 hours in rural areas of Quetta was because of bomb blasts and the storm, which hit the city and its surroundings.

He said due to these blasts and the storm, QESCO’s infrastructure was badly damaged. He further said that rehabilitation activities by PEPCO were halted by further deterioration in the law and order. He said restoration work by QESCO staff had started on June 27, which would last for approximately 12 days.

He said the total load of the QESCO was 1339 MW and out of this load, 80 percent was agricultural and 20pc domestic. He said owing to the damage to the infrastructure, only 468 MW was being given to QESCO at present. Talking about electricity theft, Khalid said detection bills had been served to more than 1100,000 consumers during the fiscal year 2009-10. He said apart from the consumers, 387 lower staff workers and 37 officers of PEPCO had been found involved in electricity theft.

 

[Hyde]

1,200MW to be added by year-end: Ashraf ​

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The national grid will have another 1,200MW by the end of this year, said Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf while chairing the 85th meeting of the board of Private Power and Infrastructure Board on Monday.

He said that seven projects of 1,265 MW, including a 62-MW rental power project have already been commissioned within a short period of one year. Another 1,200 MW would be added to the national grid by the private sector by the end of this year, reducing the power supply-demand gap, he added. “We believe that a crisis also brings opportunities. The decisions taken in the recent Energy Summit have encouraged the private sector to expedite the commissioning of their projects.”

The minister appreciated the initiatives of PPIB that include launch of ICB for a 300-MW IPP based on furnace oil, which will be located near Lalian Town, Chiniot, and another ICB for a 300-MW IPP to be located at Sonda Jherruk, Sindh, based on imported coal, which is in final stages.

The representative of SHYDO told the board that feasibility studies for small hydro power projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were in progress. Around 2,000 MW are expected to come online within the next seven to eight years from such projects, they said.

Issuance of LoI to 1,000-MW power project based on Thar coal, being undertaken by Engro Power Generation Limited (EPGL), was approved in the meeting. The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, a sister concern of EPGL, is already a joint venture partner with Sindh government for development of coal mine at Thar.

Those who attended the meeting included Secretary Water and Power Shahid Rafi, Member FBR Zafar ul Majeed, Additional Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources Muhammad Ijaz Chaudhry, Chief (Energy) Planning Commission Arshad Maqsood Malik and Managing Director PPIB N. A. Zuberi.

 

[bc040400065]

Petrol sales surge, CNG demand shrinks

By Aamir Shafaat Khan
Wednesday, 07 Jul, 2010

KARACHI: The demand of compressed natural gas (CNG) has declined in the last few months, claim station owners and dealers. While the petrol sales surged by 26 per cent in 2009-10 over the last fiscal year.

General Manager Supply and Planning at Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) Aftab Husain said petrol sale in July-June 2009-10 surged to 1.9 million tons from 1.5 million tons the previous fiscal year.

The country imported 106,279 tons of petrol in May 2010, while total imports from December 2008 to May 2010 were 804,992 tons, Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) data revealed.

He said petrol sale was rising due to 55 per cent share being consumed by two-wheeler in total sales of gasoline. Besides, the rate of vehicles conversion to CNG also witnessed a declining trend following natural gas load-shedding across the country. Also a sizable quantity of petrol was consumed by power generators being used by the shopping centres, households and shop owners.

Aftab Husain said consumers were paying Rs3 to Rs4 per litre higher to buy imported petrol owing to faulty ex-refinery formula. The government, he said, has not taken any decision regarding the oil fixing formula to remove distortion between the imported and locally-produced gasoline.

He said that refineries were operating at low throughput ranging between 60-75 per cent owing to lingering circular debt problem and global depressed refinery margin.

“If the government does not take quick decision on pricing formula then it may lead to closure of refineries besides causing fuel shortage including furnace oil for power sector,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Senior General Manager Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited (PSMCL) Ashfaq Hussain said that the company produced 7,000 units per month in which 65 per cent were CNG-fitted vehicles and the rest petrol version. This percentage had been static for the last two years.

In case, he said, petrol becomes cheaper by Rs4-5 per litre, the orders from customers for petrol vehicles go up by at least five per cent.

A CNG kit producer said that the CNG conversion rate had slowed down to 5,000-6,000 vehicles per month as compared to 8,000 units a few months back due to declining petrol prices amid reports that CNG would become costlier in the current month.

Chairman All Pakistan CNG Association Ghayas Paracha said that the CNG sales had declined by 18-20 per cent in the last six to eight months owing to thin movement of public vehicles in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in view of security situation. However, he said that public movement in Sindh and Punjab had remained normal.

CNG Dealers Association chairman Abdul Sami Khan said that the association had sought price revision from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

He said sales had declined by four to five per cent of many pumps in various areas in the last one year depending on station location.

In many areas of the city there was an intense competition among pump owners as many were offering discount of Rs6 to Rs8 per kg to lure customers, he said.

He said that number of stations had also swelled and the long queues of shrank after improvement in gas pressure at the pumps from the utility companies.

However, he said that despite fluctuating trend in prices, the CNG still costs at least 50 per cent less compared to petrol-run vehicles.

As per the ECC decision, Ogra was assigned the function of fixing CNG price on January 1 and July 1, which it did not in the current year.

Chairman CNG Station Owners Association Malik Khuda Bux said that sale of CNG dropped by 12-14 per cent in the last three months.

Pakistan has the world’s largest CNG-fitted vehicle population of 2.7 million units with 3,073 stations. In Brazil, CNG vehicle population is 1.22 million with only 1,416 stations.


DAWN.COM | Business | Petrol sales surge, CNG demand shrinks

 

[AstanoshKhan]

Masood Ahmad Designs Model to Overcome The Enegry Crisis

Energy crisis in Pakistan has led creative minds to explore alternative ways to generate electricity. Masood Ahmad, a resident of Moori, Bhara Kahu, has designed a model to produce at least 3,000 watts of electricity by using sunlight reflected by mirrors.

The amount of energy is enough for household needs of a single residential unit or a family to turn all tubelights, fans and one air-conditioning unit on. Masood Ahmad’s model is simple like everybody might be doing in his or her childhood, concentrating the sunlight on an object using a concave lens. The difference Masood Ahmad has made is that, it is not the lens anymore but the mirrors reflecting the sunlight at a single focal point where the solar energy could burn anything whether timber or an iron rod.

Masood has it in his plan to install a turbine at the focal point of energy where the heat energy would turn the water into steam that would turn on electricity generating unit on producing ample energy for household needs.

He has installed one such model at the rooftop of his house where he has been using the dispersed solar energy into concentrated heat energy for cooking purposes. In his model, he has built a structure of jute and Plaster of Paris, with jute as an inside support structure like iron bars inside a concrete structure and Plaster of Paris as an outer layer of concrete.

He has designed these jute and Plaster of Paris structures in the shape of panels joining each other in a concave manner creating a dish antenna like structure. Till this time, Masood Ahmad has installed these above-mentioned panels covering an area of 24 square feet but according to his plan he is supposed to build these panels over an area covering 140 square feet that will maximise the results.

At the inner side of these panels, Masood has glued thousands of pieces of mirror reflectors converging the solar energy to a single focal point. The whole structure moving all together locating a single focal point converts sunlight into heat energy.

Masood Ahmad said that this matter is far precise and cheaper than the use of solar cells. Masood’s invention in the market would cost five to six times lesser to the end consumer wishing to install a solar generating energy solution at his or her house.

Telling about the specifications of his design, he said that the 3,000 watts is the minimum amount of energy that could be increased to 10,000 watts. The design has good results in the hot atmosphere in the day while in the night there is a need to connect UPS with the system.

Masood suggests that all offices and factories could utilise free of cost energy through this method. He wants to rebuild his panels at the fibreglass structures where he would install a stand and a timer as well. With the timer, the dish shaped structure would keep on moving automatically with the movement of the sun.Masood needs government assistance to make his invention marketable. He says that either government or a private investor should help him in this regard.

 

[Hyde]

hehehehe what a stupid design. 3000 watts
It can always contribute towards the electricity but never overcome energy crisis

We need 1000 times bigger design to even think about overcoming this problem

 

[AstanoshKhan]

^^^ at least he is taking a step forward in getting rid of the energy crisis - be it at a lower level. And if you bother to read the whole article, this design is for a single home use only. We should be encouraging these intellectual fellows not ridicule.

 

[AstanoshKhan]

Bulb With Built-in Energy Storage

It is learned form the reliable sources that one of the leading and prominent bulb manufacturing company in Pakistan is launching a bulb which has the capacity to store electric energy and without the electricity can glow up to 3 hours, long lifetime and flicker free starting and operation. The most interesting thing about that bulb is the price its just Rs. 150 – 200.

Keeping in mind the current energy crisis situation in Pakistan this is product seems to great invention and will be very useful. People who can not afford the very expensive UPS (Uninterpretable Power Supply) can use this product to get their homes lighten during the load shedding.

Breaking News : Bulb With Built-in Energy Storage | Telecom News Bulletin

 

[bc040400065]

Power tariff may go up by another 24pc

By Our Staff Reporter
Saturday, 31 Jul, 2010



ISLAMABAD: The government has decided in principle to increase electricity tariff by another 24 per cent this year, introduce reformed general sales tax (GST) on Oct 1, and cut federal and provincial expenditures by up to Rs280 billion.

A finance ministry official said the government would increase electricity tariff by eight per cent after every quarter, with the first hike taking effect from Sept 1. He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had estimated that a 49 per cent increase was required this year to bridge the power companies’ financing gap. The government had initially envisaged a 33 per cent increase.

However, based on business plan of Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), the government now believed that a 24 per cent tariff increase would be sufficient for the current year, with the remaining financing gap being bridged through recovery of arrears and reduction in system losses.

Sources said the issue of inter-corporate circular debt had yet to be resolved because Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments had got stay orders from courts against at source deduction of electricity bills.

The debt, the sources said, stood at around Rs115 billion, of which about Rs100 billion pertained to the provincial governments. If this amount was cleared, the requirement for tariff increase would come down to about 24 per cent.

The official said that provincial governments had given an undertaking to the prime minister that they would curtail their non-salary expenditures this year “in the interest of national cause” in order to provide a saving of about Rs166 billion as envisaged under the federal budget. However, the federal government would also have to reduce its current expenditure, including security-related spending, and find some other avenues for savings.

It was felt that the current deficit target of 4 per cent envisaged in the budget would have to be adhered to at all costs because the target approved by the parliament was sacrosanct and without this the IMF would not allow release of the next tranche of $1.7 billion.

The official said the provincial governments had also agreed to the federal government’s request for an integrated and reformed GST, except for the tax on services like telecommunications and banking and insurance to be administered by the Sindh government.


DAWN.COM | Front Page | Power tariff may go up by another 24pc

 

[xenia]

Fuel supply to two plants resumes Power crunch averted as PSO gets Rs12bn


By Ahmad Fraz Khan and Kalbe A


LAHORE / ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: A major power crisis was averted on Saturday after the federal government released Rs12 billion to Pakistan State Oil (PSO), which, in turn, restored oil supplies to the power sector, especially the Hub Power Company (Hubco) and Kot Addu Power Company (Kapco).

Apart from the federal transaction, the ministry of Water and Power and the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) have promised to pay Rs24 billion and Rs3 billion next week, bringing the total payments to Rs39 billion.

The PSO also informed the ministry of petroleum that the petrol supply position would start improving by Monday. The supplies were delayed because of problems arising out of floods and Eid holidays.

The PSO supplies around 6,500 tons of petrol daily — around 45 per cent of the countrywide demand.

“Central and southern Punjab faced petrol shortages because of shutdown of Parco which supplies up to 1,800 tons of motor gasoline daily,” PSO officials told the ministry.

Sources in the ministry said that Parco was closed after floods and it was expected to resume work on Monday or Tuesday, which would improve petrol supply situation.

Had the supply of fuel to Hubco and Kapco not resumed, they could have jointly created a generation loss of around 3,000MW, forcing Pepco to resort to six-hour loadshedding on this head alone, taking the total loadshedding beyond eight hours a day.

According to Pepco officials, the federal money transfer was part of tariff differential subsidy payments that the federation owes to the sector for the last two years. Under this head, the federal government owes Rs135 billion. Out of this, it transferred Rs12 billion on Saturday.

According to PSO, the ministry of Water and Power has pledged to pay Rs24 billion once Pepco makes the payments.

Not confirming the payment promise directly, a spokesman for the ministry of Water and Power said: “The ministry is committed to arrange all payments that its subsidiary and other private companies in the sector owe to PSO so that the country continues getting smooth supplies. It will ensure in future that regular payments are made to PSO so that generation does not suffer any kinds of loss.” Pepco managing-director Tahir Basharat Cheema claimed that the company would make Rs3 billion payment next week (Rs1 billion each on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) to PSO.

He said: “The oil supplies have been restored, but the company also has spare generation to cope with the situation. Had it not been for floods, the company was making regular payments to PSO.” About the cumulated payments that PSO is claiming to be around Rs149 billion, he said that the dues were not new, but lingering on for the last two year because the federation had not cleared tariff differential subsidies for 2007-08 and 2008-09.

PSO spokeswoman Mariam Shah confirmed release of Rs12 billion and also other promises made by Pepco and the ministry of Water and Power. She said the federal finance division had not shared the payment apart from Rs15 billion.

PSO has restored supplies to the power sector because of national interest rather than the quantum of payment.

“The sector owes Rs149 billion, and payment of Rs12 billion and promises of Rs27 billion hardly merit restoration of oil supplies. It was done only to let the power sector run smooth because the stoppage could have hurt the country badly,” she said.

Ms Shah said: “The PSO is by no means out of woods. It has to order oil imports for October and November, and it will only be possible for it if the government and other private entities (Hubco and Kapco) share their payments schedule with the company so that it can plan imports for smooth supplies.” The financial crisis faced by PSO is mainly because of the power generation companies have to pay more than Rs141 billion to PSO out of the total outstanding of around Rs160 billion faced by the company.

A PSO official said that Hubco had to pay around Rs62.57 billion to PSO and Kapco’s outstanding was Rs31.4 billion and Wapda’s power generation companies had to pay more than Rs47.25 billion to PSO.

PSO supplies 2,500 tons furnace oil per day to Kapco and 5,000 tons per day to Hubco to meet their entire daily requirements.

PSO is also under stern pressure to clear its dues to oil refineries and Kuwait petroleum for imported petroleum products.

Fuel supply to two plants resumes Power crunch averted as PSO gets Rs12bn


Ah this circular debt sucks!

 

[sparklingway]

List of projects underway:-

Expenditure Report on major hydroelectric projects underway :-

 

[sparklingway]