Thursday, October 02 2025

Solar-powered farming is digging Pakistan into a water catastrophe
Karamat Ali’s cows and buffalos once provided his multi-generational family with milk. But earlier this year, the 61-year-old sold about a dozen bovine - and spent the proceeds on a set of solar panels. The rice farmer in Pakistan’s Punjab province now uses his panels to power a tube well, which is composed of a water well and a motorised groundwater pump. The device allows Ali to irrigate his crops with greater ease and frees him from depending on the erratic electricity grid and pricey diesel to power the pump. “Water supply to my paddy feed is smoother than before,” he said. As Pakistan undergoes a solar revolution, farmers like Ali are increasingly ditching diesel and grid power for sun-powered tube wells, according to interviews with 10 growers, as well as government officials and analysts.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators power-gen-dist

Tuesday, September 30 2025

Consumers to pay Rs2 under fuel tariff adjustment
After several months, a fuel cost adjustment will add Rs2 per unit to the burden of power consumers across the country, including Karachi, in October, despite more than 76 per cent power generation coming from cheaper domestic sources. Testifying before a public hearing, Rehan Akhtar, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) — a government subsidiary — said the fuel cost in August increased by 19 paise per unit because lower-than-expected hydropower generation forced the use of expensive fuels. Flooding had constrained water discharges from reservoirs, reducing hydropower output. He explained that a negative fuel price adjustment of Rs1.79 per unit in the September billing cycle would expire, resulting in a net increase of Rs1.98 per unit in October bills. The public hearing was conducted by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on the request of CPPA, which acts as a commercial agent for power distribution companies (Discos).
Related news categories: business economic-indicators power-gen-dist

Friday, September 26 2025

Lesco works out Rs237.38m worth of flood losses
The recent rains and floods caused massive loss to the infrastructure of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco). Since the assessment of damages calculated by the company amounts to Rs237.38 million, the efforts to repair and replace the affected material have been accelerated, according to Lesco’s Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Ramzan Butt. The Lesco’s Kasur circle topped in suffering Rs197.43m loss, followed by Okara and central circles that faced loss of Rs24.96m and Rs6.35m, respectively. The company’s north circle faced Rs1m loss, as the material affected by floods included one 25kV transformer, three structures measuring 45 feet each, 450 conductors, six defuse sets, five steel-ax arms, two defuse steel x-arms, nine pin insulators (11kV).
Related news categories: business economic-indicators power-gen-dist

MoF welcomes resolution of Rs1.225trn CD issue
The Finance Ministry termed the Rs. 1,225 billion power sector circular debt resolution a decisive step towards fiscal discipline, investors’ confidence through collective effort to address one of the most chronic challenges of Pakistan’s energy sector. The ministry issued an official statement on Thursday, welcoming the successful resolution of Rs. 1,225 billion power sector circular debt, achieved through a historic joint effort led by the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Power in coordination with the Ministry of Energy, the State Bank of Pakistan, the Pakistan Banks Association, and 18 partner banks. This landmark restructuring represents a major breakthrough in addressing one of the most chronic challenges of Pakistan’s energy sector. This achievement reflects the strength of teamwork across institutions united to address one of the most chronic challenges of Pakistan’s energy sector.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators power-gen-dist

Thursday, September 25 2025

Power sector drives rally on stock market
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its positive momentum on Wedn­esday, as investors rema­ined upbeat ahead of a significant agreement bet­ween the government and commercial banks aimed at tackling the country’s power sector circular debt. Despite concerns about an upcoming IMF review for the release of the third tranche of $1bn starting Sept 25, the benchmark KSE 100 index surged past the 158,000-point mark. According to Topline Securities, the market opened strong, with the KSE 100 index rising by as much as 1,101 points during the session. The rally was largely driven by news that the government was set to sign a landmark Rs1.275 trillion financing agreement with 18 commercial banks, aimed at addressing the nation’s power sector circular debt. However, profit-taking later in the session led to a slowdown, and the index ultimately closed at 158,236 points, up 291 points, or 0.18 per cent.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators power-gen-dist psx stock-exchanges