Govt asked to find solutions to rising energy demand

Businessmen blame conventional energy sources for current crisis

LAHORE:

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the decision of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to streamline the net metering process in the larger interest of stakeholders.

Earlier, LCCI President Kashif Anwar took up the matter and conveyed concerns to authorities that applications for net metering were not being processed.

Furthermore, Nepra has directed to ensure that the processing of applications does not cause any extra financial burden on consumers other than the permissible fee.

In a statement, the LCCI president said that the prompt response of Nepra was commendable as it would not only give the much-needed relief to the consumers of alternative energy but it would also be a national service.

“We are thankful to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority for taking prompt action on the demand of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and directing all the officers concerned that net metering applications of eligible consumers should be processed on a priority basis without any discrimination,” he said.

Read: NEPRA faces scrutiny over electricity costs, capacity

He emphasised that Nepra’s initiative would attract people towards alternative energy resources which were the need of the hour. “Promotion of alternative and clean energy resources is a must as reliance on conventional sources like thermal is one of the biggest reasons for crisis in the power sector and high utility prices,” he said.

“We have to plan right now for the days to come to make the country a hub of industrial activities.”

Anwar said that all were aware of the present challenges facing Pakistan’s economy, especially the menace of high power tariffs, adding that the country desperately needed some good alternatives and viable solutions to the rising energy demand and high cost of thermal resources.

He mentioned that a wide range of biomass resources, particularly wood biomass and organic waste, were available in Pakistan in abundance, so some serious efforts were required to establish necessary modalities to commercialise them on a mega scale.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2023.

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