PCJCCI Presents 'energy Democracy' Concept To Meet Energy Needs

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jun, 2021 ) :Pak-China Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President SM Naveed has presented the concept of 'energy democracy' in the country, which can be implemented by creating private-public partnership consortiums to overcome exceeding energy crisis in Pakistan.

The concept was discussed in a meeting of the PCJCCI think tank here on Friday. Senior Vice President Daud Ahmed, Vice President Rafique Chaudhry, Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif and a number of executive members were present in the meeting.

The PCJCCI president hoped that by introducing energy democracy in Pakistan, the government could ensure efficiency, investment and reduced tariffs to resolve the energy crisis.

He said that Pakistan could conduct participatory forms of decision, enabling people to get involved in the energy democracy projects to ensure public ownership also in distribution of energy.

Senior Vice President Daud Ahmed said that the world had built 45,000 large dams so far while Pakistan had built only two large dams with 7 per cent of world's irrigated area, which shows the criminal neglect in safeguarding the life-giving waters.

He said that currently China's installed capacity of electricity generation is among the highest i.e. 1,260 million GW, whereas Pakistan has an installed capacity of 22,143 MW but it produces only 11,000 MW due to line losses, delayed payments, line rents and poor maintenance of the hydro machinery.

PCJCCI Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif said that if the energy democracy idea is implemented, the companies which are not wholly driven by profit will abstain from trickery, attract investment, infuse confidence, offer fair and simple energy tariffs and would further help those who are least able to pay bills and reinvest major portion of profits back into the local communities.