• Costs reduced through termination of contracts; tariff revision of bagasse and thermal plants
• Talks in progress with 45 public sector power plants for cutting costs, Senate panel told
• PM’s aide says forensic audit of power plants not possible due to high cost, fear of backlash

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday claimed to have secured about Rs1.571 trillion in savings in future payments to a total of 27 independent power producers (IPPs) through negotiations so far, while another ‘unwilling’ producer would have to undergo a forensic audit.

This was the key takeaway from a presentation made by a power division team — comprising federal minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Muhammad Ali and federal secretary Muhammad Fakhre Alam Irfan — before the Senate Standing Committee on Power, led by Senator Mohsin Aziz.

“The above savings will be passed on to the consumers through changes in agreements and tariffs over the contracting period,” read one of the slides presented to the Senate panel.

It explained that Rs411 billion in savings had been secured........

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