PSDP projects for infrastructure development: 'government should allocate Rs 100 billion every year'

Government should allocate Rs 100 billion every year in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for infrastructure development in the power sector particularly and for the energy sector generally. There is a need to evolve a national energy policy with the participation of all the stakeholders to generate 100,000 MW by 2030.
This was according to the recommendations of the 'National Conference on Electric Power Deficit' organised by the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Pakistan (IEEEP) in collaboration with University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore. The recommendations were forwarded to the Government of Pakistan as a consensus document framed by top engineers, scientists and economists.
Government should take immediate steps for paying off the circular debt of Rs 300 billion and should appoint competent professionals followed by allocation of gas on priority basis, UFG gains to be diverted to power sector and oil fired GENCOS should be converted to coal with in 12 to 18 months.
The main pillar of this energy policy should be on utilising local fuel resources like coal, large hydel, small & micro hydel using local technology under a planned indigenization programme. Development and utilisation of Thar coal has to be made as a national policy.
The import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) must be done on priority and at a competitive price with in a year and there should be speedy work on interstate gas pipeline project from Iran and Turkmenistan. It was recommended that as a part of national energy policy State Bank of Pakistan should arrange low interest finances for harnessing 2000 MW from the power plants of sugar mills by notifying upfront tariff.
It was also recommended that regulatory authorities like Nepra and Ogra must be restructured and competent professionals should be conducted in these authorities. There should be a focus on developing renewable energies like solar, wind to leap frog the technological curve and join the ranks of the developed countries in generating power with minimum carbon footprint.
It was recommended that there should be a focus on creating industry-academia linkage for developing local human resource, which can perpetuate the energy autarky plan by designing, development and production of all phases of power generation projects, re-designing of existing curricula/syllabi on the need basis. At the conference all the speakers and the whole house unanimously supported the construction of Kala Bagh project as water and energy reservoir. The conference recommended Government of Pakistan to develop consensus to start the work on the project on the priority basis.