CCoE approves the merger of AEDB, PPIB

Aftab Ahmed

Islamabad: The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) on Thursday approved mergers of the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) and Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB).

Cabinet body met on Thursday to consider the proposal of merging Alternative Energy Development Board and PPIB for ease of doing energy business.

The government had worked out a plan to merge these two boards to improve indicators of ease of doing business in the energy sector.

This plan is a new business initiative of the government. Now, they will process power projects of all technologies, including alternative and renewable energy projects at one doorstep.

The power sector in Pakistan had also offered jobs opportunity. It also delivered in overcoming load shedding. Alternative Energy Development Board deals with renewable energy projects, whereas the PPIB deals with other projects like thermal.

PPIB is processing the most significant chunk of energy projects under CPEC, out of which contractors have already completed four projects of 4620 MW while the remaining nine power projects of more than 7000 MW are at different processing stages.

The majority of projects are under construction or about to enter construction activities. While highlighting plans, MD PPIB stated that PPIB is handling a diversified portfolio of 22 IPPs of more than 12000, out of which fourteen (14) projects of 6175 MW are hydropower projects while six (6) IPPs of 4290 MW are on Thar coal.

PPIB is targeting to complete seven power projects of more than 5500 MW by the end of next year despite the COVID-19 situation worldwide, which can hamper the process. These include two (2) hydropower IPPs of more than 1600 MW, four (4) Thar coal-based IPPs of 2640 MW, and one RLNG based project of 1263 MW.

The PPIB has captured various success stories in successive rounds of power policies announced from time to time. As a result, since its inception, PPIB has materialized forty (40) IPPs of more than 17550 MW in the country, worth around US$ 20 billion. These IPPs are on multiple fuels/technologies. Now, mergers of Alternative Energy Development Board and PPIB will offer one window operation to process energy projects.