Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting today to review the power sector’s outstanding debts and unpaid dues linked to electricity projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Official sources said unpaid amounts owed to Chinese power companies operating under CPEC have reached about Rs500 billion.
Government sources said the session will cover the wider stock of power-sector arrears and present detail on CPEC-related electricity projects. The gathering sits within a broader look at power sector circular debt pressures—the backlog of unpaid power bills and dues that weighs on the energy system—alongside the specific CPEC payment shortfall.
Who is owed and why payments are stuck
The dues are payable by the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), the federal body that buys electricity for the grid from generators. Officials indicated that financial constraints have left the CPPA unable to settle the outstanding amounts.
Chinese power companies have repeatedly sent reminders seeking clearance of what they are owed. The roughly Rs500 billion figure refers to those CPEC-linked power dues, according to the same official accounts.
What the prime minister is expected to do
Shehbaz Sharif is expected to issue directives during the meeting aimed at addressing the arrears. Key federal ministers and senior officials from the relevant departments are also due to attend, underlining the political weight attached to the unpaid CPEC power bills.
No new payment schedule or tariff decision was set out in the briefing that preceded the session. What is clear is that the government is treating the CPEC power dues and related power-sector liabilities as an urgent agenda item for the prime minister’s office.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Wazir-e-Azam Shehbaz Sharif aaj bijli ke qarzon aur CPEC power projects ke unpaid bills par meeting kar rahe hain. Chinese companies ko lagbhag 500 arab rupay bakaya bataya ja raha hai. CPPA ke paas abhi yeh raqam ada karne ki gunjaish kam hai. Aam logon ke liye seedha matlab yeh hai ke sarkar is bade bill ko settle karne ke tareeqe dhoond rahi hai.
