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Privatising the Pakistani Power Sector

Discipline:

Description

This case is set in 2010. It is a retrospective case that examines a 1994 policy reform and incentive framework meant to attract private sector investment for power generation in Pakistan. Inadequate power generation and distribution were long-standing development hurdles for the country – and international donors, such as the World Bank, had successfully petitioned the government of Pakistan to privatise their power sector. Privatisation, it was believed, would incentivise the necessary infrastructure investment to overcome the sector’s historic challenges.

Electrical power generation and distribution in Pakistan was originally provided by private regional utilities. These utilities were then later nationalised under the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 1972. Despite this, there were persistent challenges related to the fuel mix and associated energy import costs, limited power generation capacity, and transmission and distribution losses.

For WAPDA to be privatised, it would have to first be corporatised and restructured into distinct profit centres with independent management and separate accounts that established a commercial track record. At the same time, investors would be incentivised to fund independent power producers (IPPs) through purchase power agreements (PPA) with the WAPDA in order to finance new capacity. However, there were numerous conflicts of interest between stakeholders themselves. Contemporary public-private partnerships can benefit from Pakistan’s 1994 policy reform by understanding what went right, and what went wrong.

This case is targeted to participants who are interested in understanding the challenges associated with dealing with governance issues arising in public-private partnerships. It will pay special attention to complexity theory and themes related to ‘social license to operate’ and risk-sharing., Students will gain a deeper understanding of energy related issues from an economic, political and social context. The case is designed for use in advanced undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education classes.

Inspection copies and teaching notes are available for university faculty. To receive an inspection copy and teaching note, please email cmpshop [at] smu.edu.sg with your registered faculty email ID and a link to your contact information on the faculty directory at your university as verification. An inspection copy and teaching note will then be sent to your faculty email account.

Download Information

SMU Faculty/Staff can download the case & teaching note on iNet with your SMU login ID & Password via the following links:

· The Case (SMU-16-0015)

· Teaching Note (SMU-16-0015TN)

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via The Case Centre, please access the following links:

· The Case (SMU-16-0015)

· Teaching Note (SMU-16-0015TN)

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via Harvard Business Publishing, please access the following links:

· The Case (SMU-16-0015)

· Teaching Note (SMU-16-0015TN)

Downloads

SMU Faculty/Staff can download the case & teaching note on iNet with your SMU login ID & Password via the following links:

·       The Case (SMU-16-0015)

·       Teaching Note (SMU-16-0015TN)

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via The Case Centre, please access the following links:

·       The Case (SMU-16-0015)

·       Teaching Note (SMU-16-0015TN)

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via Harvard Business Publishing, please access the following links:

·       The Case (SMU-16-0015)

·       Teaching Note (SMU-16-0015TN)

Published Date

15 Sep 2016

Year Completed

Temporal Coverage

Geographic Coverage

S$6.00


(Please note you are purchasing the case only.)

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