HAFEEZ TO CHAIR PRE-BID MOOT ON JAMSHORO POWER COMPANY AT KARACHI TOMORROW

Karachi, February 28, 2006

A pre-bid meeting is being held at Karachi Marriot Hotel at 1045 hrs on March 01, 2006 (Wednesday) for the privatization of Jamshoro Power Company (JPC) under the chairmanship of Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Federal Minister for Privatisation & Investment.

The moot will deliberate upon the process and respond to the queries of the prospective bidders for the privatization of JPC. The transaction is now at a very advanced stage. the prospective bidders have completed their due diligence in the dat room.

Jamshoro Power Company Limited (JPC) located in Sindh Province of Pakistan was established as a result of the unbundling of Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). It was organized to take over all the properties, rights, assets, obligations and liabilities of three thermal power stations namely Jamshoro, Kotri and Lakhra with a total nameplate capacity of 1204 MW. The company was incorporated in August 1998 as a public limited company under Pakistan Companies Ordinance 1984. Subsequently in June 2002, the Lakhra Power Station with a nameplate capacity of 150 MW was spun out of JPC into a new company, Lakhra Power Generation Company Limited. JPC has been granted a Generation License by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to engage in generation business pursuant to the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997 (NEPRA Act).

The Government of Pakistan intends to sell a majority 51% interest in JPC including management control to a strategic investor or a consortium of strategic and financial investors. The GoP intends to hold 49% of the equity beyond privatisation.

JPC facilities are located within the environs of Hyderabad with key connections to the NTDC grid to enable power to be injected to major load centers in the South of the country including Karachi. JPC facilities compete with other grid connected power plants in Pakistan for position in the merit order including hydel plants and would remain important part of overall generation portfolio of Pakistan for many years to come. Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): JPC is to be sold pursuant to a PPA with multi-year tariff to be approved by NEPRA. The PPA has been carefully designed in accordance with recognized international utility practice to allow full recovery of prudent costs.The economic life of JPC assets if well maintained would extend beyond the PPA term to offer extra value capture in post PPA. Regulatory Framework: JPC would have the transparent oversight of NEPRA, Pakistan Power Sector's independent regulator, established in 1997 to protect interests of both the investor and the sector.