Total power generation in Pakistan witnessed a significant decline of 23 per cent on a yearly basis to 10,010 GWh in April 2023, compared to 12,960 GWh in same period last year.
“Power generation down by 23 per cent YoY during April 2023, the highest decline since available data (Jul’12),” said Arif Habib Limited (AHL) on Friday.
On a monthly basis, power generation improved 15 per cent, up from 8,741 GWh in March 2023.
Meanwhile, the total cost of generating electricity in the country remained unchanged at Rs10.24 KWh in April 2023, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis.
On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the cost of power generation increased by 25 per cent, as compared to Rs8.22 KWh registered in March.
“On a MoM basis, the increase in fuel cost is witnessed mainly due to a decline in nuclear, and hydel-based generation along with a 41 per cent and 9 per cent MoM rise in coal and furnace oil (FO)-based cost of generation,” said AHL.
When looking at the first ten months of the 2022-23 financial year, power generation decreased by 10 per cent YoY to 103,593 GWh compared to 114,660 GWh a year prior.
Moreover, the cost of power generation during the first ten months of the ongoing fiscal year was up 13 per cent, from Rs8.2 in 10MFY22 to Rs9.3 in 10MFY23.
Data on generation mix revealed that electricity generation decline on a yearly basis was led by hydel 1,872 GWh, and Residual Fuel Oil (RFO) 221 GWh, which decreased by 22 per cent and 86 per cent, respectively.
Power generation from gas and Re-gasified Liquid Natural Gas (RLNG) sources stood at 1,189 GWh and 2,418 GWh respectively, showing a decrease of 7 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, on a yearly basis.
In April, nuclear and RLNG emerged as the leading sources of power generation, accounting for 43 per cent of the generation mix combined.
Moreover, electricity generation from renewable sources including solar improved by 44 per cent on a yearly basis to 126 GWh, while generation from other renewable sources such as wind declined by 31 per cent on a yearly basis to 323 GWh.
