Islamabad: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, chaired by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, has approved an initiative aimed at optimizing energy demand during the winter months. The decision was made during a meeting held at the Finance Division, where proposals from the Ministry of Energy and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) were discussed and approved.

According to Press Information Department, the ECC considered a proposal from the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) regarding a winter demand initiative that targets industrial and domestic consumers. The initiative proposes a tariff of 26.07 Rs/kWh for consumption exceeding a benchmark, with the aim of optimizing system generation capacity and reducing gas demand by shifting favorable demand to electricity. This initiative will be in effect from December 2024 to February 2024.

Additionally, the ECC approved a proposal from the NDMA to transfer Rs 3.140 billion from the erstwhile Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) into the NDMA Fund. This transfer is intended to support the authority’s inland and overseas rescue and relief operations. The committee stipulated that the funds, originally public donations for relief efforts, should be spent on their intended purpose of aiding flood and earthquake victims.