Tag: Power

KARACHI - The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will be organising a public hearing in Islamabad on February 1 vis-a-vis Karachi Electric Supply Company's (KESC) petitions seeking a hike in power tariffs, but neither the Karachi-based interveners nor citizens are likely to attend the hearing.
On January 18, sources told Pakistan Today, the KESC through a petition (No.CMF/NEPRA/071/529) had demanded NEPRA to sanction an increase of Rs 1.30 per kilowatt (kW) for

ISLAMABAD - Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Pakistan on Friday signed an agreement to invest $242 million in improving power distribution system in Pakistan. The investment is part of the $810 million 'Power Distribution Enhancement Investment Program' approved in 2008.
The multi tranche financing facility targets investment in priority areas to reduce power losses and increase the reliability of the power distribution system. ADB Pakistan Director Rune Stroem

ASTANA - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Friday said he was ready to work for as long as required, as his country is expected to hold a referendum on whether to extend his term until 2020. Nazarbayev's comments delivered during an annual state-of-the-nation address appeared to leave little doubt that he intended to extend his grip over the Central Asia's largest oil producer despite strong criticism from the West.
"I am ready to work for as long as my health allows me.

DAVOS (SWITZERLAND) - The annual meeting of world elites at the Swiss ski resort of Davos opened Wednesday with executives highlighting a power shift from the advanced world to emerging market as recovery takes hold.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev confirmed that he would make his opening speech at the forum, despite cancelling most other Davos appointments after a deadly suicide bomb attack on a Moscow airport. Medvedev said in a newspaper interview that he would participate

KARACHI - A $ 377 million dollars 650-megawatts Combined Cycle Bin Qasim Power Plant project of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), which is claimed to be completed by the next year, is going to hit a snag as the project was being developed without arrangement of gas.
Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) the prime source of gas to the company was neither been contacted nor any demand of additional gas for the same project was made by the power supplying company, sources said. As

Ajay Devgn, who had walked out of Rajkumar Santoshi's 'Power' is apparently back in the film now. We thought the actor had left the project for good when he quit the project in November last year. This also caused the film schedule to go completely haywire.
In fact, post that the industry was abuzz with rumours that the film was shelved following Ajay's exit. But all rumours can be put to rest now because this multi-starrer is back on track. A source said, "The film was launched

ISLAMABAD - The Rangers have been empowered to arrest miscreants in Karachi on a request by the Sindh government, Information Minster Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Saturday. "The Rangers have been tasked with taking action against miscreants in Karachi on a request by the Sindh government.
The whole country is worried over the worsening law and order situation in Karachi and the government is taking measures to restore peace there," Kaira said while talking to reporters after an

PAKPATTAN - The residents of Pakpattan are facing hardship owing to 18-hour power and gas load shedding in the city and its adjoining areas.
The power and gas supply remains suspended for several hours without any prior notice from the authorities which has paralysed business activities in the city. Women are unable to cook food for their families in the houses because of gas supply suspension. The people have demanded the authorities take immediate notice of the situation and

ISLAMABAD - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to lend up to $100 million for the construction of the gas-fired Uch II 404MW power plant in Murad Jamali district of Balochistan. According to a statement issued by the bank, the power plant would be constructed near the existing Uch-I power project and would be developed by International Power of the United Kingdom, the single largest private investor in Pakistan's electricity sector.
The project will get gas from the Uch

ABU DHABI - Pakistan opposes a center of power and the expansion of veto rights in United Nations Security Council and the UNSC reforms should be based on democracy and equality basis, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday.
Talking to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on the sidelines of the energy summit being held in Abu Dhabi, President Zardari discussed global terrorism, global partnership on energy, UN contributions and help for the flood affectees and UNSC reforms and

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday suspended Education Executive District Officer (EDO) Lahore Dr Muhammad Arshad for negligence in his duty and alleged corruptions in the Education Department, Pakistan Today learnt on Sunday.
CM took this action when he was visiting a government school in Chacho Wali Baidian Road and found that school was working without proper facilities, infrastructure, non availability of proper furniture and EDO was not providing

ISLAMABAD - The government has decided to start implementing revenue and power sector reforms by doing away with all exemptions under the general sales tax and subsidies on power tariff and petroleum products from February 1.
Official sources said the political leadership made the decision after the economic team informed it in clear terms that the national exchequer was left with no fiscal space to continue bearing Rs 20 billion per month in power tariff differential subsidy and

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Friday gave another deadline to Techno Energy, a Sialkot-based firm, to refund a mobilisation advance of Rs 780 million along with a mark up by January 17 for its failure to import machinery for a 150MW rental power project despite keeping the amount for over two years.
A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, was hearing a suo motu case involving allegations of

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Thursday directed rental power companies to return the money they took in advance from the Government of Pakistan to set up power generation projects but failed to do so.
The court particularly directed Techno Power Plant to return Rs780 million it took in advance from the government of Pakistan for producing electricity but could not so far initiated the project. A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam

PESHAWAR - Police opened fire on a crowd demonstrating against power cuts in Bannu on Tuesday, killing one protester and injuring dozens. Several were arrested as police tear gassed and beat the demonstrators who were chanting slogans against "the mute and incompetent rulers" while demanding the government emancipate the masses from the protracted power load shedding. Police said the protester was killed during exchange of fire, but residents blamed police for the killing.
"One

LAHORE - Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has stopped gas supplies to the CNG stations and the industrial sector to facilitate domestic users, but consistent power and gas outages faced by domestic consumers continued on Saturday. Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO)'s claim of controlling the situation also stood falsified, as there has been no respite in power closures.
Citizens lived through another day with limited gas and electricity, as there was eight to ten

KARACHI - The Sindh government has scrapped the plan to set up a coal-based power project for production of at least 50MW from the vast natural reserves in the Lakhra coalmine in Jamshoro, it has been learnt.
Well-placed sources in the Sindh Coal and Energy Development Department told Pakistan Today that the government had included the feasibility study for establishment of a 50MW coal-fired power plant in the Lakhra coalfield in the budget for 2010-11 with an allocation of at