Concern expressed over curtailment of wind power plants

KARACHI: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), has said that Federation’s Central Standing Committee on Renewable Energy, chaired by Convener Fawad Jawed, has expressed its grave concern over the intensifying curtailment of wind power plants.

He stressed that this grid infrastructural failure is inflicting billions in revenue losses, driving green energy investors toward bankruptcy, and forcing inflation-weary consumers to bear the brunt of expensive imported fuel.

FPCCI Chief elaborated that, despite definitive sovereign guarantees that transmission bottlenecks in the Gharo-Jhimpir corridors would be removed, the National Grid Company (NGC) and the Independent System & Market Operator (ISMO) have repeatedly failed to upgrade evacuation infrastructure.

Consequently, the national grid is suppressing Pakistan’s cheapest and cleanest source of electricity – available at a mere Rs14 per unit – while the country endures debilitating load shedding and bleeds scarce foreign exchange on costly imported RLNG and coal.

AtifIkram Sheikh said that FPCCI’s Central Standing Committee on Renewable Energy has highlighted a shocking tariff irony: under NEPRA determinations, wind energy generated beyond benchmark capacity drops to an unprecedented under Rs1 per kWh. Yet, the system operator chooses to reject this virtually free local power, prioritizing multi-billion dollar thermal imports instead.

Furthermore, the Non-Project Missed Volume (NPMV) mechanism recovers only 38 percent of losses despite 100 percent plant readiness, creating a recipe for financial liquidation.

FPCCI warns that launching the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM) and wheeling auctions over a congested failing network will further destabilize the grid.

The FPCCI urgently demands that the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Energy, and NEPRA intervene to enforce ‘Must-Run’ Status, Ensure Accountability, Redirect Power to grid and Reform NPMV.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026