KCCI, majority interveners boycott NEPRA’s hearing, demand fresh hearing

September 2, 2021: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) along with majority of interveners boycotted the proceedings of NEPRA’s Public Hearing held on Thursday to strongly protest a very arrogant, indecent and unbusinesslike attitude of Chairman NEPRA.

According to a statement issued by KCCI, everybody, who attended NEPRA hearing on “KE’s request regarding Monthly Fuel Charges adjustment for July 2021 and Quarterly Adjustment for the quarter ending June 2021”, felt that this hearing was conducted for cosmetic purposes only as the decision has been taken well before calling this hearing.

There was no patience on part of Chairman NEPRA to listen to the very valid points put forward by the interveners especially Arif Bilwani who is considered as an expert on energy matters in Karachi. He was presenting some very important technical points but was interrupted to such an extent that the Zoom connection was shut off on the orders of Chairman NEPRA given in a very arrogant manner.

Perhaps this attitude also reveals that this increase in tariff due to rise in furnace oil prices was because of the undue permission granted by NEPRA to continue the operation of Bin Qasim Power Plants which are running at a capacity of 31.8 percent whereas a new plant, which is under installation, will function at 60 percent that means that if it is commissioned and comes into production, KE would file a reduction in the FSC in the next quarter and same was the position with Gul Ahmed and Tapal with regards to efficiencies and cost of generation.

If the same quantum of power is given to KE by enhancing the grid capacity where there was a surplus power of 6000 to 8000 MW and the government was also in a very difficult position due to piling up of circular debt, NEPRA would have advised the government last year that instead of allowing the low efficiency power plants, electricity can be provided to KE through the grid then it would have curtailed the circular debt by utilizing the surplus electricity in the KE system but it seems that NEPRA was trying to avoid this question.      

The Karachi Chamber demanded that NEPRA’s Hearing held today be immediately declared as ‘null and void’ and a fresh date for hearing may be announced at the earliest.

KCCI further demanded from the competent authorities to go through the recording of today’s proceedings and decide for themselves that was this hearing called for listening to the consumers of KE or to fulfill the requirement of just calling the consumers. This time it was just calling the consumers but not listening to them at all which the Karachi Chamber and all other interveners strongly condemn.

Press Release