25-year energy plan in the offing.

Byline: Khaleeq Kiani

ISLAMABAD -- The government is working on a 25-year integrated energy plan to meet the country's future needs, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum Nadeem Babar said on Friday.

'We are working on a complete integrated energy plan for the next 25 years with an aim to ensure availability of electricity, oil and gas to consumers at affordable rates and in sufficient quantity,' the Petroleum Division quoted Mr Babar saying at a seminar.

He underlined the need for overcoming the energy shortages, providing commodities at affordable rates and stopping their wastages. 'Make energy cheaper and consumption will double,' he said, adding that this strategy would give a substantial boost to industrial sector and economic activities in the country.

Under its ease of doing business plan, the SAPM said the government had removed a number of bureaucratic hurdles to facilitate private sector in the energy sector. He said the government intended to reduce its footprint in the energy sector by encouraging private sector to compete government sector entities.

During the last 16 months, the government had taken a number of steps which would have positive impact on the energy sector in the coming years, he said. 'We are not realising these measures right now. We have been living in the past and denying the present...but we have to move the energy sector where it has to be,' he added.

The SAPM said the government had decided that it would not continue to...