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ISLAMABAD: The National Electric and Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has directed the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) to resume wind power supply within 10 days.
The directives came just a day after Nepra said it “is in receipt of a letter from Pakistan Wind Energy Association (PWEA), whereby it has been apprised that the WPPs are facing excessive curtailment issues which has crossed all the previous thresholds during the months of December 2022, January 2023 and February 2023 (ongoing).”
The letter further highlights that these WPPs were developed under the Policy for Development of Renewable Energy for Power Generation 2006 which stipulates that all the generation of these projects would be compulsorily evacuated.
“Additionally, PWEA in its above-mentioned letter has requested that a meeting be convened by Nepra, as was done once in the past to bring all the stakeholders on the table to resolve this matter.”
Today while hearing a case on the request of the Pakistan Wind Energy Association regarding the closure of the Master Wind (MW) wind power plants for the past five months, NEPRA Chairman Tauseef H Farooqi pointed out that the government was encouraging the production of alternative energy and questioned why the already existing power plants were closed.
NEPRA officials noted that the NTDC did not build transmission lines and grid stations as per the plan, which was causing the disruption in supply.
At this point, the chairman directed NTDC to arrange transmission lines and resume wind power supply at the earliest. The National Power Control Center was also directed to solve the issue of electricity generation within 10 days.
In a country facing high inflation, cheap electricity generated by wind power is a crucial need for the people, Chairman Farooqi added. The directive to resume wind power supply highlights the importance of investing in renewable energy sources to ensure sustainable and affordable energy for all.
