We Are Closed To Stone Age! After the announcement of load shedding while everybody is predicting otherwise, the Pakistan Electric Power Company’s (Pepco), in a surprising claim, says load shedding in the coming summer would be considerably lower than last year.
The people need not worry as our forecast is good to make sure there is more electricity in the months of scorching heat,” MD Pepco Rasool Khan Mehsud told. Terming as ‘temporary’ the present countrywide breakdowns, he admitted that it was impossible to bring the load shedding to zero but “it would be far less than last summer season.”
The 1145 MW, he mentioned, includes 300 MW from Chashma Nuclear Power Plant 2 (SHNUPP)-II and small units in the pipeline likely to start production before the end of June this year. The MD maintained that his department has chalked out a detailed strategy to be activated under a step-wise approach utilizing the best option and add electricity through various means.
He said he was 100 per cent confident to bring at least 1145 MW electricity in the national grid before June this year. By that time hydropower generation from Tarbela and Mangla units would also improve.
The present shortfall is for a brief period and mainly due to fall in hydel generation caused by abnormal reductions in water flows, particularly in Indus River,” he added. “Sudden gas interruptions further fueled the situation.” The Pepco MD maintained that 300-MW SHNUPP-II is presently in the under process and would regularly start generation with its full capacity by end of April 2011.
He recalled that Pepco is getting merely 2000 MW from hydel side despite a 6500 MW capacity and this is a huge gap that adds to the miseries. “So we are short of 5500 MW just on hydropower generation besides 1000 MW is short because of non-availability of gas.” “We would not have this shortfall by June as hydropower generation would boost with improved water flows and gas would be available to fill the gap.”
According to the report of Tharparkar coal mine we can produce One hundred thousand mega watts electricity. Consumption of electricity in the summer season is 21000 mega watts. If GOVT starts more project of electricity, problem can be resolved and people could spend a tense free life.
By: Muhammad Adeel