KARACHI: President of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) Muhammad Ikram Rajput has welcomed the Sindh cabinet’s approval of the Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Sepra), including the appointment of its chairperson and members, describing it as a significant development for the power sector.
He noted that the authority has been established under the Sindh Regulation of Electric Power Services Act, 2023.Rajput termed the creation of Sepra a historic and strategic initiative by the Sindh government and congratulated Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Energy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah. He said the move would strengthen provincial autonomy in the electricity sector while creating new opportunities for industrial growth.
He also congratulated Rafique Ahmed Sheikh on his appointment as chairperson, along with Nand Lal P Sharma as Member Technical and Development, Irtafa ur Rehman as Member Legal and Corporate, and Muhammad Hanif Idris as Member Finance and Policy. Rajput expressed confidence that the new leadership would ensure transparent, professional and forward-looking regulation of Sindh’s power sector.
He said Sindh possesses abundant low-cost power generation resources, including extensive wind corridors, significant solar potential and local coal reserves. With an empowered provincial regulator in place, the province would be better positioned to utilise renewable and other energy sources to accelerate industrial expansion and economic growth.
Rajput noted that Karachi, the backbone of the national economy, stands to benefit substantially from an effective regulatory framework aligned with provincial requirements. Affordable and reliable electricity, he said, is critical for industrial competitiveness, export growth and job creation.
The KATI president added that Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company could also play a key role in transmitting electricity across the province at competitive rates. Strengthening transmission infrastructure, he said, would help deliver low-cost power efficiently to industrial centres, reducing overall energy costs.
He proposed that the next phase should include the establishment of dedicated industrial energy zones with a consumption capacity of 3,000 to 5,000 megawatts (MW). Such zones, he said, would attract investment, boost manufacturing, enhance value addition and generate large-scale employment.
Rajput said aligning energy planning with the expansion of industrial corridors was both timely and economically prudent, adding that KATI would extend full cooperation to the Sindh government and Sepra to ensure the new regulatory framework delivers affordable, sustainable and growth-oriented energy solutions for the province.
