LAHORE: As Pakistan sizzled in pre-monsoon sweltering heat, the electricity demand also swelled beyond 18,500MW against a paltry generation of 12,000MW, forcing power mangers to resort to around 18 hour load shedding in the cities and even more for the rural feeders.
According to power planners, 12,000MW generation was achieved late yesterday, when some plants, which were closed during the day, were managed back on line. Otherwise, the generation figure for the better part of the day was 11,300MW.
Reports from the most of rural areas indicated up to 20 hours loadshedding yesterday as the deficit increased beyond 6,500MW.
According to an official of the National Transmission and Dispatch Company, the current crisis is rooted in two causes: lack of money and severe mismanagement. None of the power company has acquired money.
“The government is riveted on retiring huge circular debt and fresh oil purchases are not on its mind. This preference has put over 3,500MW generation capacity off line. Out of 12,000MW generation, around 50 percent is coming from hydel side.”
“It could have been total disaster without it. To make the matter worse, some gas fields went out of operation and took down some plants with them,” he claimed. “There are two people, who are heading the sector and both of them are not utility men,” says a former head of Pakistan Electric Power Company. Internews
