Textile industry demands cheaper power

The Pak­i­s­tan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has urged the government to rectify anomalies in the indu­strial electricity tariff, which will penalise large industries investing in high-voltage infrastructure. The demand came from the association when the country’s textile exports have slowed down in the past few months owing to structural changes and the high cost of energy. In a statement, PTEA Patron-in-Chief Khurram Mukhtar has called for immediate rectification of anomalies in the notified industrial electricity tariff, stating that the current structure discourages efficiency and penalises large industries investing in high-voltage infrastructure. Mr Mukhtar highlighted that the National Electric Power Regulatory Auth­ority’s (Nepra) latest tariff imposes higher electricity rates on industrial consumers connected at 11kV (B3) and 132kV (B4) compared to those connected at the lower 400V (B2) level, contradicting international best practices and basic grid economics.