LAHORE: The National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has submitted an Indicative Genera­­tion Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2018-40 to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).

The plan has been developed by the NTDC’s Power System Planning department pursuant to the mandatory regulatory obligations under the Nepra Grid Code 2005.

According to a spokesman, the function of an electric power system is to provide a 24/7 reliable and continuous supply of electricity. In order to make it happen, each of the three main components of an electric power system i.e. generation, transmission and distribution must perform under the ambit of prevailing policies and regulations.

The power sector during the last few years displayed resolute efforts to get rid of the menace of loadshedding which had adversely affected entire socio-economic balance of the country. From being in state of scarcity to achieving the demand-supply balance, it had become essential to prepare and implement integrated plans in timely manner across the entire value chain of the electricity sector, he said.

The long-term plan has been prepared under the supervision of Power Division, Federal Ministry of Energy, and in close liaison with important stakeholders of Pakistan Power Sector including CPPA, PPIB, Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.

“In parallel, Prime Minister’s Task Force for Energy Reforms has also reviewed the whole plan, its methodology, assumptions and other important aspects; comments and suggestions by the Task Force have been incorporated in the final version of the IGCEP,” the spokesman added.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2019