Renewable energy

EditorialAugust 24, 2019

THERE is some level of seriousness on the part of the government to encourage renewable energy, as is evident in the vigour with which the prime minister’s taskforce on the subject is working to draft the renewable energy policy. But significant snags have arisen that have stalled the process, and if they are not resolved effectively, it could damage all the efforts that are being put in. One of the challenges is to figure out how to deal with those renewable energy projects that had already been approved, especially by the provincial authorities, under the old tariff system at a time when the government wants to move towards competitive tariffs. It is an important aspect because both sides to the dispute — the government and the investors — have valid arguments, and the number of projects that stand to be impacted by the decision is very large — 140 in total equalling a power-generation capacity of close to 8,000MW.

The investors say that the competitive bidding for tariffs should apply to future projects, not those already in the pipeline that have seen considerable time and resources spent on them to develop proposals in the Independent Power Policy mode, and that are at various stages of approval. Meanwhile, the government feels that the number of projects in the pipeline is so large that making an exception for them at this stage will push the beneficial impact of competitive bidding too far into the future. Both considerations have merit. Investors want predictability on the policy horizon, while the government is right to point out the speed with which renewable energy prices are dropping and make an attempt to capture the benefits of this development for the larger public interest. The question then arises: how do we resolve this issue? Whatever specific course of action is taken, the government, and in particular the leaders of the prime minister’s taskforce, must ensure that the public interest is held supreme, and is over and above commercial interests. The public interest lies in widening the role of renewable energy in our mix, as well as capturing the benefits of the declining prices. Similar issues arose when Nepra moved to reduce the upfront solar tariff a few years ago, but that did not do any major damage to investor interest in Pakistan’s market for renewable power. Perhaps the current taskforce can look to that moment for guidance.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019

Banditry in Sindh

EditorialAugust 24, 2019

WHILE the banditry problem in Sindh, especially the province’s northern half, is indeed better than the chaotic situation that prevailed in the 1980s and part of the ’90s, it is still by no means ideal. The issue was highlighted recently when a famous Sindhi singer and his troupe were captured by dacoits in Shikarpur district, apparently for not bringing along female dancers to a performance. The singer and his band were set free on Thursday night, but only after family members of the suspects were held in ‘tit-for-tat’ detentions by the police. This reflects a classical colonial approach to law enforcement, reminiscent of the Frontier Crimes Regulation, and is out of place in the 21st century. Moreover, the police were clearly outgunned; an area DSP tragically lost his life when he stepped out of a police APC and was attacked by an anti-aircraft gun used by the criminals during the operation to free the entertainers.

This pathetic situation in upper Sindh exposes the tall claims of the provincial government that ‘all is well’ in the province. While Karachi suffers from unabated street crime, the northern districts of the province — Shikarpur, Ghotki etc — have been left to the mercy of dacoits, who take advantage of the riverine area, known as kutcha in local parlance, to hide from the law. The lawlessness in upper Sindh has also echoed in the provincial assembly, with the opposition criticising the government’s lackadaisical approach to crime-fighting. While the terrain may indeed be difficult, this is no excuse for the state to let dacoits operate at will in the districts concerned. The police need to be given training and equipment to take on the criminals, while an operation is required to seize the heavy weaponry the dacoits possess. If ungoverned spaces are left for criminals to exploit, security in Sindh will remain a pipe dream. The provincial administration must take the threat of such criminals seriously and establish the writ of the state in upper Sindh’s kutcha areas.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019

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