LAHORE: The All Pakistan Mills Association (APTMA) Chairman Aamir Fayyaz Wednesday has demanded a domestically equal and regionally competitive energy price to revive $4 billion closed capacity and prospective investment of $7 billion to generate $20 billion worth of exportable surplus. “Unless the government ensures an immediate restoration of the viability, the textile industry would be unable to compete and deliver for the economy,” he stressed. He deplored the government’s inaction to control the energy price for the industry, particularly for the Punjab-based textile mills, which is hurting the viability of the industry. He pointed out, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has announced provisional LNG price at $10.79 per MMBTU, which means the LNG would cost at Rs1080 per MMBTU to the textile units in Punjab as against Rs488 per MMBTU in other provinces. He recalled that high energy price has already made redundant 35 percent of the existing capacity, predominantly in Punjab and a likely further closure is imminent if energy price is not addressed on priority. Published in Daily Times, January 11th 2018.