ISLAMABAD: Since its inception, the incumbent government accorded top priority to electricity generation and installed capacity of electricity jumped to 29,573 MW by February 2018, registering a growth of 30 per cent.

According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan released by Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Miftah Ismail here Thursday, payables of power sector entities against the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and public sector power entities amounting Rs 480 billion were fully cleared in 2013, which added 1,700 MWs electricity to the national grid and eased load shedding considerably in the country.

The government has moved in the direction of providing targeted subsidy to power consumers (domestic up to 300 units) by moving towards better cost recovery leading to a financially stable power sector.

Although electricity generation varies due to availability of inputs and other constraints, the generation increased from 96,496 GW/h in 2012-13 to 117,326 GW/h in 2016-17 posting a growth of 22 percent, while, during July-Feb FY 2017-18, electricity generation remained 69,956 GW/h compared to 68,592 GW/h last year showing a growth of 2 percent, the survey said.

With regards to share of different sources of electricity generation, it can be observed that share of hydro in electricity generation has decreased over the last five years.

Lower availability of water is the main reason for reduced generation from hydel. The indent as conveyed by Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to National Power Control Center (NPCC) varies from 10,000 to 200,000 CFS (cubic feet per second).

This huge variation spans the entire year and correspondingly affects the hydel’s national energy mix. As substitute, the government showed commitment for electricity generation capacity though renewable energy sources. Presently, renewables constitute only two per cent in electricity generation, though it is expected that they will increase in coming years.

The government had also started import of LNG in first quarter of year 2015, as it is an economical and efficient fuel as compared to other petroleum products.