Reforms in Energy Sector Vital as Pakistan’s Power Tariffs Soar Above Regional Countries: Gohar Ejaz

Chairman Economic Policy and Business Development and former caretaker minister Gohar Ejaz has said that the reforms in the energy sector are inevitable.

While comparing Pakistan’s power tariffs with other regional countries, here, he said that Pakistani power consumers are paying three and four times high tariffs as compared to Turkey and Egypt.

He said Pakistan’s industrial sector is paying Rs44.56 per unit for electricity while in Egypt the per unit rate has been Rs10.58 and in Turkey it is equal to Rs16.43.

Per unit electricity rate in Bangladesh has been 20.89, while the industries in India supplied electricity at 23.39 per unit, he said.

He said in Vietnam and Sri Lanka power price has been 23.67 rupees per unit.
Gohar Ejaz urged the government to fix the electricity rate for consumers at Rs26 per unit.

He said reforms are compulsory in the energy sector and called for review of the agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) and they should be given payments only on power generation.

He demanded halting payments to those IPPs not producing electricity.
He also urged privatisation of the power distribution companies being run in losses.