Three power plants go under the hammer today

ISLAMABAD:

Three major state-owned power plants with a combined generation capacity of 2,362 megawatts will be up for sale today in the second phase of the government's auction of old and inactive energy assets.

This bidding process – part of broader energy sector reforms – aims to attract new investment and ensure more efficient use of financial resources.

The plants being auctioned are the 880MW Jamshoro Thermal Power Station; the 1,350MW Muzaffargarh Thermal Power Station, and the 132MW Steam Power Station Faisalabad. The reserve price for all three has been set at Rs26.62 billion.

According to officials, the second phase is being conducted in line with decisions by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), directives from the prime minister, and guidelines from the Ministry of Energy (Power Division).

To ensure transparency, bidders, media representatives, and relevant institutions have been invited to attend the event, which will take place at the offices of Genco Holding Company Limited.

In the first phase of the auction, seven old thermal power plants were successfully divested, with the total bids exceeding Rs9 billion, well above their reserve prices, according to the officials.

Officials noted that the success of the first phase has sparked investor interest in the second round. Today's auction is expected to be closely watched by investors, policymakers, and energy sector experts.