PM looks to Georgia for energy reform

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the government was bringing reforms in the energy sector to reduce per unit rate of electricity in the country.

He was talking to a delegation of foreign experts in the energy sector, led by former Georgian prime minister Nika Gilauri, which called on him here at the PM House.

In the meeting, the prime minister highlighted that circular debt, line losses and electricity theft were the major challenges in Pakistan’s energy sector.

Emphasizing the importance of energy sector for the country’s economic growth and development, he expressed his government’s commitment to implementing policies that reduce circular debt and improve the efficiency of electricity bill collection.

He said privatization and outsourcing of the power distribution companies was the top priority of the government. “In this regard the government desires to take benefit from the Georgian experience.”

The prime minister expressed his government’s desire to promote alternative energy sources, particularly solar energy, and reduce reliance on expensive energy sources.

He said the government would also promote public private partnership in the energy sector.

The prime minister directed the federal ministers to consult with the delegation regarding the basic reforms of the energy sector in the country and to set up a comprehensive strategy regarding these reforms immediately.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Power Minisetr Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, and relevant high officials attended the meeting.