Daily Times

A registered Think Tank of Engineers & Experts have said that the Existing Power Rates Tariffs Structure can be reviewed in the existing rates framework without any hike and adverse effects on National Economy as the present structure is over sixty years old.

Engineers Study Forum experts headed by Mian Fazal Ahmad consider that an analysis of the actual power costs of providing services to consumers would hardly justify high power rates specially on the low income groups as well as industries for the exports enhancements endeavors. An x-ray of the pros and cons of the existing Tariffs structure in a realistic scenario would hardly justify the power rates going up and up. Things would point out to some wrong policies & mismanagement of the past. No power utility has ever evaluated the real costs of providing services and power to consumers in different categories. Most of the power supply system elements including power plants transmission and distribution lines, have outlived and passed their lives and paid their capital costs of equipments and lines. Only operational costs of the system elements count for prevailing power tariffs.

Keeping in view the situation there is a dire need to evaluate real costs of providing services to consumers through a comprehensive technical and commercial audit study, the experts added. According to the Forum, these services include the efficiencies, operational power plants, Transmission lines, distribution systems of Discos. Think Tank of Engineers & Experts said that a comprehensive study is imperative to determine the real costs of services and overheads which include power plants, transmission and distribution system. On evaluating the real costs of the power system infrastructure, the actual costs of providing services to consumers can be determined which are much less than the assumed costs thus justifying no increase in power tariffs.