Energy sector: Pakistan's average surplus capacity to cross 4,000mw.

The annual average capacity surplus of Pakistan's power sector is likely to increase 15 percent against projected demand because of over-commitment of power generation projects.

The surplus will translate into annual average of more than 4,000 megawatts, according to a report launched by the Energy Institute of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

The report, titled "Pakistan's Electricity Outlook 2020-25", critically reviews the challenges faced by the country's power sector and also assesses the implications of continuing business as usual. It explores the scope and feasibility of an alternative set of options in order to correct the current course.

The report stated that a decade of crippling spells of load-shedding pushed for a quick-build and arguably excessive capacity additions in the recent past. The power sector now faces a new, and no-less serious, challenge - a period of expensive capacity surplus.

Decision-makers in the country are in a...