Latest News

Pakistan's Liberty confident its $125 mln bet on struggling power sector will enjoy benefit

Pakistan's. Liberty Power Holding, which today signed a deal to purchase the. thermal energy assets of the nation's largest conglomerate for. $ 125 million, is relying on its coal reserves and reforms laid. out by the IMF for its financial investment to pay off.

Liberty Power participated in an agreement with a subsidiary of. corporation Engro Corp to buy all its thermal. possessions, including Pakistan's leading coal producer, Sindh Engro. Coal Mining Company.

The deal is amongst the biggest in current times in Pakistan's. power sector, which has actually remained in crisis for many years due to. debts and chronic technical problems.

We believe Thar Coal is the energy future of Pakistan, it's. indigenous, it's inexpensive and it's base load, said Zain Mukaty,. Chief Operating Officer of Liberty Power, in an interview with. on Friday, describing coal deposits of the Thar. desert.

The South Asian nation's power sector has actually been afflicted by. high rates of power theft and circulation losses, leading to. accumulating debt throughout the production chain - an issue likewise. raised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The IMF's policy tips under the current $3 billion. standby credit plans with Pakistan have actually been a significant. confidence boosting procedure for Liberty Power.

Leading up to national elections kept in February, Pakistan. was governed by a caretaker government which among other. procedures, raised energy rates to stop the build-up of. circular debt, a type of public debt that develops in the power. sector due to aids and unpaid bills - an essential reform needed. by the IMF.

The brand-new government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is. continuing with the reforms, particularly as it is seeking to. work out a longer term bailout with the loan provider to support the. country's reserves and enhance its risk profile.

We feel that a person of the primary prerogatives of the IMF. ( for the next program) will be that circular debt requires to go. from standstill towards decrease, stated Mukaty, a 32-year-old. Wharton graduate.

The decision to enter into coal for Liberty comes from. Pakistan's forex crunch and its native coal. reserve potential.

It looks like foreign exchange is going to remain a. challenge in the near future and the medium term future. By. dealing with regional coal you bypass any FX requirements you have,. stated Mukaty adding that the government is speaking with coal. powered power plants that deal with imported coal, advising them to. transfer to local coal.

So for us we see this as a long-term play. We don't feel. that domestic coal is an idea or a concept that's going to go. away. We feel that it requires to be more checked out for the. benefit of Pakistan which's why we're taking a long-term view. on this, he added.

(source: Reuters)