Islamabad August 24 2023: Pakistan’s power generation increased by 4.9 percent in July 2023, marking the first growth in fourteen months, reaching 14,839 gigawatt hours (GWh) compared to 14,151 GWh a year ago, as per data released by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
Furthermore, electricity generation rose by 8.2 percent from the previous month to 13,715 GWh, driven by higher temperatures and a resurgence in economic activities. This comes as a contradiction, considering that electricity prices have reached a record high, marking a 40 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to governement released statistics.
According to country’s meteorological department, July 2023 was -0.52 °C, cooler than average with national mean monthly temperature being 30.70 °C against the average of 31.22 °C. The monthly rainfall was largely above average (70 percent) for Pakistan as a whole and stands 9th wettest July on record (the record being 177.80 mm in 2022).
Hydel-based generation played a major role, contributing 5,518 GWh, which constituted 37.2 percent of the electricity mix. This type of generation surged by 10.9 percent in July, primarily due to increased production from Tarbella Extension 4 and Karot hydropower plants.
Tarbella Extension 4 generated 1,016 GWh at a cost of 13 paisas per unit, while Karot Hydropower generated 532 GWh at a rate of 56 paisas per unit.
July 2023 witnessed the highest increase of 37.7 percent in RLNG-based generation, reaching 2,918 GWh. This boost was attributed to the addition of Punjab Thermal Power Generation Company’s 1,320 MW RLNG based power plant to the national fleet, producing 595 GWh of electricity in July 2023. The generation cost of RLNG-based power dropped by 13.7 percent to PKR 24.43 per unit.
Coal-based power generation increased by 21.0 percent to 2,180 GWh compared to the same month last year. Notably, coal power generation peaked at 2,917 GWh in January the previous year before declining to 975 GWh in November 2022. The per-unit fuel cost of coal-based electricity generation in July decreased by 42 percent to PKR 11.54, down from PKR 20.22 the previous year.
Nuclear power generation saw a 4.8 percent increase to 2,107 GWh in comparison to the same month last year. The fuel cost of nuclear generation stood at PKR 1.17 per unit, the lowest among all thermal-based sources.
Solar-based power generation increased by 6 percent to 75 GWh, and wind power also rose by 5.9 percent to 549 GWh in July 2023 compared to the same month the previous year.
Renewable sources accounted for 41.4 percent of Pakistan’s total electricity production.
During the first seven months of 2023, power generation declined by 8.5 percent, reaching 75,861 GWh from 82,948 GWh in the same period the previous year. This decline was attributed to reduced demand from industries and residential consumers due to economic slowdowns and significant electricity price increases.
