By Asif Shahzad
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan will cut the power tariff for operators of electric vehicle charging stations by 45% as part of the ongoing reform of the energy sector, the country’s Energy Minister Awais Leghari said on Wednesday.
The Cabinet agreed to drop the tariff to 39.70 rupees ($0.14) per unit from 71.10 rupees ($0.25) previously.
Leghari did not say when the new tariff regime would be rolled out.
“We want the investor as well as the consumer to benefit from this policy,” he told a press conference in Islamabad, adding that lower tariff EV stations would encourage even those using two-wheelers or three-wheelers to switch from petrol powered vehicles.
Leghari said the government would also help arrange green energy loans for the owners of two-wheelers and three-wheelers to buy batteries.
Energy imports make up the majority of Pakistan’s external payments, and the move to support EVs will help preserve foreign currency reserves, the minister said.
The reform of the energy sector is a key part of the IMF’s $7 billion bailout of Pakistan’s economy.
($1 = 278.4000 Pakistani rupees)
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP Rajesh and Kate Mayberry)
