Power theft costs public purse Rs375 billion, PAC told

Secretary power says cost of electricity from Nandipur plant will be reduced

ISLAMABAD: The national exchequer incurred a loss of Rs375 billion because of power theft and Nandipur power plant was producing expensive electricity, the Ministry of Water and Power on Thursday admitted before the Public Accounts Committee [PAC].

Briefing the committee, Secretary for the Ministry of Water and Power told the committee that the per unit cost of electricity being produced by Nandipur power plant was Rs7.25 but it would be reduced once the plant switched to gas for power production.

He said that the plant’s efficiency would improve in the near future after the completion of the laying of LNG pipeline. Currently, it was producing 250 megawatts, but it also produced 425MW at full capacity on oil.



“It is expected that international prices of LNG will be sustained and further reduce in the long term as developing countries’ dependence on shale gas is increasing,” he added.

The Chairman PAC Syed Khursheed Shah observed that “courts award stay orders to those who resort to corruption of billions (of rupees) … everyone should be equally treated.”

During the discussion on the ministry’s audit reports for 2013-14, audit officials informed the committee that the ministry made 16 appointments without advertisements, disregarding the rules. Moreover, the ministry had not yet submitted a report in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2016.