Islamabad: The federal government is looking to expand the scope of Oil and Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to allow to set the price for coal in the country, a news source reported.
The government also plans to revisit the imported coal supply agreement in an effort to lower the prices. Currently, OGRA only prices petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Presently, coal related agreements and pricing is handled by
the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). Reportedly, it had also
been proposed in a recent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) that
the government should revisit coal supply agreements to lower the costs.
Currently, all coal-fired projects are under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework and considering the delicate nature of the government-to-government arrangements, it was decided that the matter will be handled after following proper procedures.
The three companies running coal-based power plants include
Huaneng Shandong Ruyi Pakistan Energy, Qasim Electric Power Company and China
Power Hub Generation Company.
The CCoE issued instructions that OGRA should handle the price
of imported coal, at least.
