Capacity payments issue will be settled soon, says NA speaker
Pakistan
Ayaz Sadiq said it is not government to do business but to regulate it
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that the issue of capacity payments was under discussion hoping that the issue would be settled soon.
While addressing a ceremony of privatisation of the Discos, the NA speaker said that the Pakistani parliament in 2015 became the first green parliament in the world.
He said that it was not the job of the government to do business but to regulate all such frameworks.
He noted that there is currently a global issue with energy prices and highlighted the difference in the dollar rate now compared to when the independent power producers (IPPs) were set up. In 2008, there was a lot of load shedding, and nobody was interested in investment, Sadiq held.
More to read: Process for Discos' privatisation begins: Tarar
Sadiq also mentioned that oil prices have increased due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the losses faced by Discos are substantial. He questioned why someone else should cover these losses. The Prime Minister, he said, is considering solarising tube wells, and due to solarisation, many large consumers are moving off the grid.
The National Assembly speaker also pointed out that when he resumed his role after five years, he found that IT personnel were involved in legislative matters.
He added that electricity demand will decrease in winter, and there is work underway to provide incentives for increasing electricity use during winter.
