Reforms in energy sector inevitable: Power consumers paying high tariffs as compared to regional countries

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Economic Policy and Business Development and former caretaker minister Gohar Ejaz has said that the reforms in the energy sector are inevitable.

While comparing Pakistan’s power tariffs with other regional countries, here, he said that Pakistani power consumers are paying three and four times high tariffs as compared to Turkey and Egypt.

He said Pakistan’s industrial sector is paying Rs 44.56 per unit for electricity while in Egypt the per unit rate is Rs 10.58, in Turkey it is equal to Rs 16.43, per unit electricity rate in Bangladesh is 20.89, while the industries in India supplied electricity at 23.39 per unit, he said.

He said in Vietnam and Sri Lanka power is being supplied at 23.67 rupees per unit. Gohar Ejaz urged the government to fix the electricity rate for consumers at Rs 26 per unit.

He said reforms are compulsory in the energy sector and called for review of the agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) and they should be given payments only on power generation. He demanded halting payments to those IPPs not producing electricity. He also urged privatisation of the power distribution companies being run in losses.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025