Asian Development Bank to help Pakistan combat electricity theft

October 30, 2018 (MLN): Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division), Omar Ayub has affirmed that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will finance a project in Pakistan to put a stop to the prevalent electricity theft crisis in the country.

The Minister elaborated that ABC cable which has the capability to stop any kind of electricity theft will be installed initially in the premises of IESCO, PESCO and LESCO. The cost for this project, which has been estimated at 900 million dollars, will be financed by ADB.

He said that Power Division has chalked out a plan to control electricity theft and to increase the capacity of power generation and transmission.

“Working is underway to devise a Mechanism to deal with power theft. The Power Division is engaging with the provinces to create special task forces, using the support of provincial governments, local authorities and law enforcement agencies, for crackdown against electricity theft” he added.

Omar Ayub Khan stated these steps will not only reduce power theft but will also lead to decline in the circular debt.

He also said that for increasing power generating capacity, utilizing the sources of Solar, Wind and Hydel are the priorities of the government. He assured that Regulatory Tax, capacity charges, tariff and IPPs issues will be solved amicably.

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