By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved a series of amendments to the National Electricity Plan 2023-2027 and a high-level design report for the Integrated Energy Plan 2027-2060.
The prime minister accorded his approval for the decisions as he chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy here at the Prime Minister’s House.
While approving the amendments, the Cabinet Committee on Energy, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, directed that further consultations be held with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) before their implementation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his government’s commitment to reforming the energy sector, ensuring sustainable and affordable power supply, and reducing the circular debt burden through structural and policy-level interventions.
The Power Division presented the proposed amendments to the National Electricity Plan, which cover integrated energy planning, enhancement of power generation, supply of renewable energy to remote areas, cross-border electricity trade, expansion of the transmission network, tariff design, electricity conservation, system and marketing operations, risk identification, and administrative matters.
The amendments also address improving local capacity for fuels and technology, along with research, development and digitization in the power sector.
The committee also approved the High Level Design Report for the Integrated Energy Plan 2027-2060, submitted by the Power Division. Officials briefed the meeting that the plan would incorporate stakeholders beyond the federal and provincial governments, with the objective of ensuring energy security and economic competitiveness in Pakistan’s power and energy sector.
Under the plan, a strategy will be devised to supply electricity to industrial and domestic consumers at reasonable rates, while promoting low-carbon energy and environment- and climate-friendly power generation sources.
Separately, the Power Division apprised the Cabinet Committee on Energy of the circular debt position in the power sector for the fiscal year 2025-2026, while the Petroleum Division presented a report on circular debt in the gas sector for the same period.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers, senior officials of the Power and Petroleum Divisions, and other concerned authorities.
