ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday acknowledged National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) role in facilitating new investment in the power sector which was direly needed to meet the growing energy needs of the country.

The premier stated this while talking to outgoing Nepra chairman Lt. Gen (Retd) Saeed uz Zafar who paid him a farewell call here on Saturday.

Mr Aziz said the management of the authority effectively modified its functioning to maintain a balance between the interests of the consumers and service providers in unison with the broad economic and social policy objectives of the government.

He said that power sector had been passing through a challenging phase of its reforming and restructuring. The quality of regulation, he added, was a key to the investment climate since it determines the rules for investment finance and private participation.

He said Nepra had been playing a proactive role in balancing the interests of all the stakeholders who were looking towards it with optimism for fair and transparent regulation of the sector.