ISLAMABAD: It would not possible to end load shedding by year 2020, the State of Industry report given by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) revealed.
According to the report, the country will face a shortfall of 1200 megawatts in 2020, an estimate that has come in spite of repeated claims by the government of successfully countering the power shortage, by the end of the decade.
The report divulged that load shedding remained a major issue, despite the government’s payment of Rs480 billion to independent power producers, generation companies and fuel suppliers to pay off circular debt. K-Electric will face a power shortage of 1132 megawatts in 2016, the report adds. It further discloses that NEPRA has advised against burdening consumers with a hefty Rs136bn to pay off loans.
NEPRA demanded in the report that industries should soon be permitted to directly sell electricity. It further said that NEPRA advocated the steps being taken by the government, for the production of cheap electricity.