Pakistan committed to execute
IP gas pipeline: Jam Kamal
ISLAMABAD (APP): Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal Khan said on Wednesday that Islamabad was committed to execute Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. Speaking to IRNA, he said that a contract has been signed between Pakistan and a Chinese company to construct part of IP gas pipeline from Gwadar Port to Nawabshah. The comprehensive nuclear deal can accelerate the IP project, minister said. Execution of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Natural Gas Pipeline (TAPI) Project will not undermine role of IP gas pipeline, he added. Iran and Pakistan signed an agreement for the construction of the gas pipeline in 1995.

The IP pipeline aims to help Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages.

ICCI for focusing on cheap energy sources to promote industrialisation
ISLAMABAD (NNI): ICCI has called upon the government to focus on energy generation through cheap sources including hydro, nuclear and coal in order to overcome energy crisis, reduce energy cost and promote industrialisation in the country. Muzzamil Hussain Sabri, President, ICCI said that per unit cost of hydro electricity generation was Rs.1.5, nuclear Rs.1.35 and coal Rs.3.46 while cost of electricity generation through oil was more than Rs.20/per unit.  These facts make it imperative that govt should give top priority to generating electricity through cheap sources, especially hydro, nuclear and coal that will help in bringing down cost of doing business, reducing import bill, boosting industrial activities and creating plenty of new jobs.
He said due to lack of proper planning on the part the relevant authorities, the energy mix has now changed to disfavor the trade and industry. It was unfortunate that with the passage of time, the policymakers increased reliance on thermal power, which proved very costly for industry and the overall economy.
He said in 1990s, the share of hydropower in total production was 45pc which had come down to around 28pc by 2013 while share of thermal power had increased to over 67pc. It showed that the successive governments failed to exploit the cheap energy sources for the benefit of economy despite the fact that these were abundant in the country.
He said the foreign direct investment in power sector has declined to $136.2 million during the first nine months of the current fiscal year as compared to $194.4 million during the same period of last year, which should be a cause of concern for policymakers.

Chinese delegation assured of govt support
ISLAMABAD (APP): A Chinese company delegation on Wednesday met with Federal Minister for Industries and Production Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi at his office. The delegation comprised of representatives of a major company in China. The delegation showed interest in investment in generators, automobile engines and rollers, and requested the Minister for his support, according to statement issued. The minister assured them of his support and promised co-operation of the ministry. The Minister encouraged future investment of such nature for industrial development in Pakistan. It was agree to take  more steps to further boost Pak-China ties.

IEP celebrates Engineers Day today

LAHORE (Staff Reporter): The Institution of Engineers Pakistan, Lahore Centre is celebrating Engineers Day 2015 on Thursday (today) at Expo Centre Lahore. Engineer Ahsan Iqbal, federal minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, will be chief guest while renowned experts in different engineering sector would present their research papers. IEP Lahore Centre Chairman Syed Khalid Sajjad said that the ceremony of Engineers Day will be attended by thousands of engineers along with their families. He said that Engineers Day ceremony, besides highlighting several issues of the country will mainly focus the longstanding energy problems and construction of large reservoirs.
Khalid Sajjad said that water scarcity is emerging as a serious issue for Pakistan, which could badly affect its economy and government should focus on developing a national water strategy to cope with this issue of national importance. He said that IEP Engineers Day ceremony will recommend the government to focus on construction of new water dams and reservoirs, besides concentrating to reduce water losses to conserve maximum water.
He said that per capita water availability in Pakistan currently stands at only 1,000 cubic metres while it was 5,600 cubic metres at the time of our independence.

APBF Summit – 2015 on 12th

LAHORE (Staff Reporter): The APBF, while advocating fair business policies and transparency as part of its mandate, has decided to launch a series of insightful annual events. The first of these powerful events named - “The APBF Summit – 2015”, is being held on the 12th of May. President of APBF Ibrahim Qureshi said that this event will highlight the impressive profile of the APBF with strong patronage of numerous Multinationals and leading Pak enterprises as sponsors. It will serve as an informative platform to discuss and realign the business roadmap.  He expressed his pride and pleasure on the formal announcement of the summit and stated that the list of distinguished speakers and delegates participating in the conference includes many eminent businessmen, experts, ambassadors, and social icons.

The forum will also facilitate the signing of 5 high-valued MoUs between some resourceful organizations.