Hammad announces ‘massive investment’ in power transmission system

A massive investment of Rs111 billion will be made during the next three years into the power transmission system via the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) in a bid to reduce the power shortages in the country, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar announced on Friday.

In a tweet, the federal minister said the investment will increase the capability of the national grid system to transmit 28,750 and 31,500 megawatts (MW) in the summer of 2023 and 2024 respectively.

“In 2018, we started off with just 20,811 MW,” he added.

Earlier in June this year, the NTDC successfully transmitted 23,633MW highest-ever electricity transmission through the National Power Control Centre (NPCC).

The NTDC spokesperson had said that on June 10, 2020, maximum 18,392MW power was transmitted through the NTDC network. The present increase of 18.4 % electricity transmission of 5,241MW compared to the previous year indicates the positive growth in the power sector, he added.

Earlier this month, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has allowed an increase of Rs1.65 per unit in power tariff, under quarterly adjustments, which will empower the distribution companies to collect Rs173 billion from consumers in the next one year.

Read More: Power tariff goes up by Rs1.65 per unit

The electricity consumers were expecting some relief at the expiry of early adjustments of Rs1.62 per unit on September 30, 2021, however, NEPRA announced the transfer of new adjustments equal to Rs1.65 per unit to the consumers with effect from October 1, 2021.

According to NEPRA spokesperson, the regulator allowed power distribution companies to increase power tariff by Rs0.8276 per unit for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2019-20, and Rs0.8966 for the first and second quarters of FY2020-21.