ISLAMABAD, Nov 9 (APP): Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali Monday underlined the need for conducting heat-rating tests of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to check their power generating efficiency.
He was speaking on a commenced motion, moved by Senator Mohsin Aziz to the Senate to discuss situation arising out of fixation of high electricity tariffs on account of under declared efficiency of plants run on furnace oil, operated by IPPs and government sector and there was need of a fresh audit of those plants.
He urged the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to conduct ‘heat-ratings’ of the power plants being run by IPPs as in some reports there was a huge difference among per hour production of electricity of different units.
Abid said there was a ‘mafia’ that gets the cheap oil and sell it in the open market at higher rates to make money, and these elements should be exposed. He said there should be judicious utilization of the furnace oil provided to IPPs for power generating purpose.
He said the government was making all-out efforts to end oil theft incidents from the power generating sector
He said NEPRA, which is the regulator of IPPs and responsible for electricity tariff fixation, had been advised to look into the IPPs working and performance for giving relief to consumers.
