LAHORE: Independent power producers (IPPs) have warned of longer outages in the near future, blaming the previous and current governments for not taking any short- or long-term measures to contain circular debt.
IPPs Advisory Council chairman Abdullah Yousaf said the first priority of the next government should be to pay the dues to IPPs to maintain power supply at current levels or reduce loadshedding to some extent.
The government has to pay the total current outstanding bill of Rs57.48bn to eight IPPs — Atlas, Nishat Power, Halmore, Sapphire, Liberty, Orient, Saif and Nishat Chunian Power.Considering the amount, the eight cash-strapped IPPs cannot produce more than 1,600MW. It will be crucial for the next government to supply gas to power producers who are efficient, so it can be translated into maximum power generation, which Yousaf believes is a simpler formula. Uninterrupted fuel should be supplied to IPPs who can produce power at cheaper rates than generation companies, he added. internews
