ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is likely to make a landmark decision by allowing private housing schemes — high-rise buildings and sugar mills — to generate and distribute their own electricity, a source privy to the proposal told Dawn on Sunday.

The source said that senior officials of Nepra had informed the government about the proposal at a high-level meeting held a couple of days ago.

It is believed that if Nepra allows private housing schemes to distribute and generate their own electricity it would help overcome power crisis in the country.

Also read: Loadshedding won't end by 2020: Nepra

At present, only designated power distribution companies can distribute electricity.

“The meeting appreciated the idea of Nepra to allow private housing schemes to have their own power generation facility so that growing housing industry does not become a burden on the national grid,” the source said.

Not only private housing schemes/societies but the authority is also considering similar facility for sugar industry.

“The meeting was apprised that sugar mills can use Bagasse (sugarcane waste) to burn to generate electricity,” the source added.

When contacted, Nepra spokesperson Ayesha Tasadduq said that although the authority had not taken a final decision yet, it was working on it. “Nepra is seriously working on it and the proposal is on the advance stage,” she said.

The spokesperson said some prominent private housing schemes developers, owners of high-rise buildings and sugar mills had been in contact with Nepra in this regard.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2015

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