Amid high energy costs and an impending energy crisis, the government has approved energy and conservation measures preventing the outflow of $1.15 billion per annum.
The people of Pakistan are currently paying high electricity bills while also dealing with protracted power outages and multi-billion rupee cyclical debt. Customers are paying several taxes and fees on their electricity bills, which raises the price of electricity.
The coalition government has now adopted energy efficiency measures that will result in annual savings of more than one billion dollars. The “Efficiency and Conservation Measures Implementation Roadmap” was given by the power division to the cabinet during a meeting last week that was presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The global energy supply chain’s interruption as a result of significant worldwide events was explained to the cabinet. As a result, during the past nine months, the prices of crude oil and imported coal have increased by 32% and 103%, respectively. Pakistan was consequently dealing with significant supply-side difficulties since it was a net importer of energy supplies. Countries all throughout the world employ energy conservation techniques in these circumstances. However, both energy conservation and efficiency are typically seen as foreign concepts in Pakistan.
Other significant areas for action included the replacement of inefficient appliances and raising consumer knowledge of energy usage that is responsible. A comprehensive plan and implementation strategy were developed after careful review and presented to the prime minister.
The committee had proposed the enforcement of administrative measures like the hybrid work model, closure of commercial markets at 8 PM, and alternate switching of street lights. These measures will result in savings of close to $568 million annually. Switching to LED lights could enable annual savings of another $103 million.
Thirdly, the committee informed that around 2.65 million fans cause a loss of around 0.68 billion units annually. Banning the production of inefficient fans will enable savings of around $69 million annually.
Installed water geysers consume around 105 million MMbtus of gas annually, whose energy usage can be reduced by 25% through the installation of conical baffles, enabling annual savings of around $419 million. The committee proposed that massive awareness campaigns on energy efficiency and conservation be carried out through print, electronic and social media platforms.
In line with the abovementioned key measures, a road map has been developed along with an implementation strategy outlining action items, identifying responsible entities, and the respective timelines. Sources say the cabinet has formed a committee, chaired by Federal Minister Khawaja Asif, to finalize the implementation strategy.
