LAHORE, May 23: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) has suggested the PML-N to form, immediately after assuming power, an energy committee with large stakeholders as its integral part in order to resolve energy issues of the country.

Aptma Punjab chapter Chairman Shahzad Ali Khan said in a statement on Thursday that the solution to the energy crisis has been diversion of available gas resources to power generation on the pattern of Iran where despite being third largest oil producer thermal generation has yet been gas-based.

The Captive Power Plants (CPPs), he said, has been running with 40 per cent efficiency rate at present and availability of gas on priority would take the efficiency level up to 50 per cent.

The installed capacity of CPPs in Punjab is able to generate 1,200MW while another 600MW generation capacity is in Sindh. A full throttle gas supply to the CPPs would take actual generation to the vicinity of 2,400MW, which is more than sufficient to the industry demand.

“At present, some four BCF (billion cubic feet) gas is available in the country out of which the upcoming government should allocate three BCF for power generation with remaining one BCF for rest of the sectors, including fertiliser. Since one MMCFD produces 500MW electricity, the system would be able to generate 15,000MW on three BCF. Besides generation through other sources, including nuclear plants, total generation could easily reach to 20,000MW in the country with generation cost of Rs4 per unit,” he said.

Eventually, he said, the domestic heating and cooking would also be shifted to electricity, as total pressure would not be more than 5,000MW to 6,000MW.