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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>Karachiites struggle with intense heatwave, power load-shedding</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2480742/karachiites-struggle-with-intense-heatwave-power-load-shedding</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2480742/karachiites-struggle-with-intense-heatwave-power-load-shedding#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 24 12:56:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2480742</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Karachi faces severe power outages amid an intense heatwave. Residents are enduring long hours without electricity.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Amid an unprecedented heatwave, Karachi residents are grappling with severe power outages, with temperatures feeling as high as 50&deg;C and sea breezes coming to a halt.

The intense heat has made breathing difficult for many, adding to the distress caused by prolonged power load-shedding.

Despite directives from the Sindh government and the Karachi commissioner to reduce load-shedding during the heatwave, K-Electric has continued with extensive power cuts, leaving residents without electricity for 10 to 12 hours daily.

The power utility company claimed that 71% of feeders are exempt from load-shedding, but many areas still suffer.

Affected neighbourhoods include Korangi, Landhi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, North Karachi, New Karachi, Surjani Town, Liaquatabad, Keamari, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Mehmoodabad, Manzoor Colony, Korangi Crossing, Shah Latif Town, Bhains Colony, Quaidabad, PIB Colony, Baldia, Saeedabad, Ittehad Town, Pathan Colony, Banaras, and Orangi.

Also read:&nbsp;Karachi breaks record for hottest July night as temperatures soars to 32.5&deg;C

Residents report escalating electricity bills, with some homes receiving bills as high as Rs30,000 to Rs50,000.

Spokesperson for K-Electric stated that scheduled load-shedding is limited to 10 hours, denying any unscheduled power cuts.

The persistent power outages have forced residents to seek medical aid due to heat-related issues.

Calls for immediate government intervention to reduce electricity prices and end unscheduled load-shedding have grown louder as the city continues to endure one of its hottest periods.]]>
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			<title>Mercury spike leaves city in heat shock</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2474281/mercury-spike-leaves-city-in-heat-shock</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2474281/mercury-spike-leaves-city-in-heat-shock#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 24 15:31:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Tufail Ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2474281</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Extended hours of loadshedding, lack of emergency facilities instigated loss of hundreds of lives during past few days]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Patients suffering from chronic illnesses spend nearly all their life tirelessly managing their health condition be it through regular medications or frequent health check-ups just so they may spend a little more time with their loved ones however, for many vulnerable locals in Pakistan&rsquo;s simmering commercial hub, Karachi, the long fought battle for survival unpredictably reached its culmination with one seasonal heatstroke.

In spite of the local media and climate experts&rsquo; manifold cautionary warnings concerning the anticipated heatwave, the local authority&rsquo;s inability to effectively prepare for and manage the perilous health repercussions of soaring temperatures in the port city has instigated a tragic loss of hundreds of lives within a short span of three to four days from June 21st to June 24th, with the daily death rate reaching an unprecedented level.

&ldquo;A sharp increase has been observed in the daily death rate in Karachi. Even though a post-mortem is required for determining the exact cause of death, most families of the deceased have cited the intense heat and prolonged power outages as a major reason behind the sudden death of their loved ones,&rdquo; affirmed the Dr Summaiya Syed Tariq, Police Surgeon of Karachi.

According to Dr Akram Sultan, a public health expert, the current heatwave has worst affected vulnerable populations especially those suffering from chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and asthma. &ldquo;As the city turns into a concrete jungle with each passing day, newly built closed flats have little or no ventilation arrangements. Furthermore, the primary healthcare infrastructure which includes emergency medical camps is also inadequate while cold water and shade installations too are non-existent, leaving hundreds of vulnerable people at the mercy of heat-related health issues,&rdquo; commented Dr Sultan.

&ldquo;Between June 21 and June 24, 427 bodies were brought to three Edhi morgues out of which many were found on the streets. This is five times the number of bodies we usually bring to our centre. Since many areas experience 15 to 20 hours of power cuts, fainting incidents too have become very common,&rdquo; said Faisal Edhi, Head of the Edhi Foundation.

Read also:&nbsp;HRCP expresses concern over heatwave deaths in Karachi&nbsp;

Concurrently, sources from 10&nbsp;major government and private hospitals in the city revealed that 4,443 cases of heatstroke have been reported during the past few days. &ldquo;At least 1,500 to 1,800 patients are being reported daily in the city&#39;s public and private hospitals, but the health department does not have any mechanism to collect the actual data. Load-shedding should be stopped in Karachi during the summer season,&rdquo; urged Dr Aftab Hussain, a public health expert.

&ldquo;Countless deaths have occurred in Karachi in the recent days. However, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of death since the relatives of the deceased are taking the bodies for burial without post-mortem,&rdquo; revealed Imran, volunteer at a welfare organization.

In an attempt to inquire about the schedule of loadshedding, The Express Tribune contacted the spokesperson of K-Electric, Owais Munshi and his subordinate twice however, both refused to respond.

&ldquo;We are working towards collecting data of people affected by the heatwave in Karachi,&rdquo; assured Director Health Karachi Division, Dr Saqib Sheikh.]]>
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			<title>CM Gandapur warns of 'severe public backlash' in K-P over prolonged load-shedding</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2472810/cm-gandapur-warns-of-severe-public-backlash-in-k-p-over-prolonged-load-shedding</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2472810/cm-gandapur-warns-of-severe-public-backlash-in-k-p-over-prolonged-load-shedding#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 24 07:53:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2472810</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Urges federal government to take the matter of prolonged power outages seriously]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday warned that prolonged load-shedding is making life unbearable for residents and could lead to an &quot;uncontrollable public backlash.&quot;

The chief minister chaired a meeting today focused on load-shedding, which was also attended by the chief secretary, additional home chief secretary, principal secretary to the CM, secretary of energy, and senior police officials.

The meeting reviewed the situation of power outages in the province, especially during Eid ul Adha, following discussions with federal authorities.

Officials briefed the CM on the latest load-shedding situation and other related issues.

They reported that with the provincial government&#39;s support, nearly one billion rupees were recovered from high-loss areas in the last month.

PESCO installations and staff have been provided full security by the police, with dedicated teams deployed in each district.

It was disclosed in the briefing that despite promises of zero load-shedding during Eid ul Adha, the commitment was not honoured.

PESCO statistics indicated that most areas in the province experienced 12 to 18 hours of load-shedding during the holiday. Since May 1, there have been 81 different protest demonstrations against unscheduled load-shedding in the province.

For the first time, women have also participated in protests against power outages. The briefing warned that if the situation does not improve, there could be serious law and order problems in the province.

CM Gandapur stated that the provincial government is fully cooperating to resolve power-related issues as per their commitments.

He expressed disappointment that the federal government has not fulfilled its promises. Despite significant recoveries from high-loss areas, unscheduled load-shedding continues.

He highlighted that the severe load-shedding is making life unbearable for the residents of the province. The public&#39;s reaction to unscheduled load shedding is intensifying, he added.

&quot;Protests against load-shedding are not driven by any political party or provincial government but are a genuine public issue. People are struggling to get water for drinking at home and for ablution in mosques,&quot; he added.

Gandapur warned that if the situation persists, public reaction might spiral out of control. He urged the federal government to take the matter seriously.

Earlier this week on Wednesday, the simmering feud between the K-P government and the federal government boiled over after CM Gandapur took matters into his own hands by storming into a grid station in Dera Ismail Khan and flipping the switch himself, igniting a heated confrontation.]]>
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			<title>Kundi orders third-party audit of public varsities</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2470207/kundi-orders-third-party-audit-of-public-varsities</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2470207/kundi-orders-third-party-audit-of-public-varsities#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 24 05:44:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2470207</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[SCCI delegation apprises K-P governor of issues related to electricity, gas load-shedding]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi ordered on Thursday a third party audit of all public sector universities in the province and facilitating the process of fact-finding inquiries there, and completing the investigation process as per law and merit.

Governor Kundi chaired a meeting regarding the departmental briefing by the Governor&rsquo;s Inspection Team (GIT) at the Governor&rsquo;s House. He ordered the Governor&rsquo;s Secretariat to seek details related to third-party audit from all the universities.

In the meeting, GIT Chairman Mian Muhammad briefed the governor regarding departmental duties, structure, aims and objectives of the GIT, preparation and approval of the investigation report and the legal status of the department, rules and regulations.

Muhammad said that 54 inquiry reports of various public sector universities had been completed in the last four years. On this occasion, the governor emphasised the need for increasing efficiency of the department, considering the importance of the inspection team.

He stressed that all possible resources would be provided to strengthen the department at the financial and administrative level. He said that the inquiry report needed to be fully implemented and the investigation report should not be delayed for years.

Meanwhile, Nepal&rsquo;s Ambassador to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari and Consul General of Afghanistan in Peshawar Hafiz Mohibullah called on the governor and discussed with him the issues of mutual interest, including increasing bilateral cooperation in K-P.

Speaking with Adhikari, Governor Kundi invited the business community of Nepal to visit K-P. He said that cooperation in the trade sector would be enhanced by the strong ties of the business community of both sides.


A representative delegation of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) also met Kundi. The delegation included SCCI President Fawad Ishaq, Ghazanfar Bilor Sanaullah, Ejaz Afridi and others. The delegation informed the governor about increase in the tariff and load shedding of electricity and gas.]]>
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			<title>PM directs authorities to minimise load-shedding as country sizzles</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2468702/pm-directs-authorities-to-minimise-load-shedding-as-country-sizzles</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2468702/pm-directs-authorities-to-minimise-load-shedding-as-country-sizzles#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 28 May 24 13:10:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[news.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2468702</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Shehbaz says the government in no way would tolerate over-billing]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[As the country sweltered under intense heat with mercury crossing the 50-degree mark in many parts of the country, particularly in Sindh, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to minimise the ongoing load-shedding in different areas through better load management, considering the public relief in sizzling weather.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting on load management and power theft, reiterated that the government would deal strictly with the power thieves and that the ongoing mission against them would be taken to the logical end.

Vowing to hold a monthly review of the power theft situation, he asked the provincial governments, law enforcement agencies and other departments to extend their support in the anti-power theft drive in the national interest and for the country&rsquo;s progress.

The prime minister told the participants of the meeting that the government in no way would tolerate the over-billing. He directed the acceleration of the privatisation process of the power distribution companies by engaging the experts and formulating a strategy to solarise the tube wells in Balochistan.

Read more:&nbsp;Sea breeze brings respite to sweltering Karachi

During the briefing on load management and power theft issue, it was told that under a joint strategy formulated following a conversation between the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and federal minister for power, it had been agreed to reduce load-shedding and line losses and ensure recovery of dues from defaulters in the province.

It was told that areas with more power theft and line losses and low recovery ratio were being subjected to load-shedding and that the upgradation of the south-north power transmission line would help improve the system.

The meeting participants were told that task forces were being formed at provincial and divisional levels to eliminate the power theft which would undergo a weekly performance review.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Dr Musaddik Malik and Awais Ahmed Leghari, Minister of State Ali Pervaiz Malik, Coordinator to PM Rana Ehsan Afzal, WAPDA chairman and relevant senior officers. The provincial chief secretaries and inspector generals of police joined the meeting via video link.

Shortfall reaches 5,319 MW

As per sources, the demand for electricity in the country stands at approximately 25,000 megawatts, while the production is at 19,681 megawatts, resulting in a shortfall of 5,319 megawatts.

Read:&nbsp;Mercury soars to 39.5&deg;C as PMD warns of &lsquo;partial&rsquo; heatwave in Karachi

They said that hydropower sources were generating 5,600 megawatts of electricity, whereas government thermal power plants were producing 890 megawatts. Additionally, private sector electricity houses contribute 8,980 megawatts, and wind power plants were generating 780 megawatts.

They further said that solar power plants contribute 198 megawatts, biomass contributes 133 megawatts, and nuclear power plants contribute 3,100 megawatts to the national grid.

Protests

Citizens across the nation are distressed due to both scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding, with power outages exacerbating the situation during the extreme heat. Protests against load-shedding have erupted in several cities, including Karachi.

The business community reports that frequent power cuts have severely impacted their operations, while students struggle to study in the sweltering heat, and homemakers are facing mental distress due to prolonged outages.

In many parts of the country, according to Express News, load-shedding lasts up to 18 hours, making it difficult for citizens to rest even at night.

A day earlier, Karachi residents took to the streets in various areas to protest against the power outages. They blocked roads by burning tyres, leading to traffic jams and further inconvenience. During the protests, affected citizens closed both tracks of the road and chanted slogans against K-Electric.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar, citizens protested against both scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding by blocking the motorway from Peshawar M-9 to Charsadda. Protesters stated that the prolonged outages, lasting from 12 to 16 hours, have disrupted daily life.

With additional input from APP]]>
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			<title>Power shortfall reaches over 5,800MW as country sizzles</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2467828/power-shortfall-reaches-over-5800mw-as-country-sizzles</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2467828/power-shortfall-reaches-over-5800mw-as-country-sizzles#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 24 17:53:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2467828</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The country's electricity demand is 24,500MW, but its production currently stands at 18,655MW, according to sources]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As the country sweltered under intense heat on Wednesday with mercury already touching the dreaded 45-degree mark in many parts of the country, particularly in Sindh, the power shortfall in the country has reached 5,845 megawatts (MW), resulting in long power outages in rural areas and areas with high line losses.

The country&#39;s electricity demand is 24,500 MW. However, its electricity production currently stands at 18,655 MW, said official sources.

Hydropower plants are generating 5,000 MW of electricity, while thermal power plants operated by the government are producing 975 MW.

Private sector power plants are producing 8,350 MW; wind power plants are generating 790 MW; solar power plants are generating 200 MW; bagasse plants 140 MW; and nuclear power plants 3,200 MW.

Read more:&nbsp;&nbsp;Centre asks K-P to take over electricity firms

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Due to the shortfall, rural areas are experiencing 6 to 8 hours of load shedding. In urban areas, the load shedding duration has reached 4 to 6 hours, whereas areas with high line losses are experiencing 12 to 14 hours of load shedding.

Minister of Petroleum and Water Resources Senator Dr Musadik Malik stated that in summer, the country&#39;s electricity demand reaches up to 35,000 MW, while in winter it drops to 10,000 MW.

&quot;Due to lower electricity prices, higher capacity charges have to be paid, resulting in a circular debt of Rs2.50 trillion, which burdens the economy. Pakistan wants to import gas from Iran but faces difficulties due to sanctions and is striving to obtain concessions similar to other countries.&quot;

The minister made these remarks during his address at the Pakistan Energy Symposium 2024, held on Wednesday at a local hotel in collaboration with the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), Shell Pakistan Limited, and Nutshell Group.

The power crisis in Pakistan has been a persistent issue, with frequent load shedding affecting both urban and rural areas. The gap between electricity supply and demand has led to significant disruptions in daily life and economic activities.

Also read:&nbsp;NEPRA mulls another hike despite electricity demand drop

Despite various efforts to increase power generation capacity, challenges such as outdated infrastructure, financial constraints, and regulatory hurdles continue to impede progress.

Efforts to diversify energy sources, including investments in renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, have shown some promise. However, the reliance on imported fuels and the volatility of global energy prices exacerbate the situation.

Addressing the power crisis requires a multifaceted approach, including infrastructure upgrades, financial reforms, and enhanced regulatory frameworks to ensure a reliable and sustainable energy supply for the future.

Meanwhile, Chief Meteorologist, Sardar Sarfraraz on Wednesday has warned that ongoing heatwave in Pakistan persist until the first week of June.

According to a private news channel, Sardar Sarfraaz said that this intense spell of high temperature is expected to grip the nation with the mercury potentially soaring above 50 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

&quot;Pre-monsoon rainfall could begin in the first week of June,&quot; the met official said, offering a glimmer of hope for relief.

He further said that this is expected to intensify with day temperatures likely to remain 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above normal in Sindh and Punjab from May 21 to 23 and a further rise of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius from May 23 to 27.

The searing heat is not limited to the southern provinces as Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan are also bracing for temperatures 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above average from May 21 to 27, met official said.]]>
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			<title>Gandapur demands reduction in loadshedding, threatens to take over PESCO</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2466768/gandapur-demands-reduction-in-loadshedding-threatens-to-take-over-pesco</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2466768/gandapur-demands-reduction-in-loadshedding-threatens-to-take-over-pesco#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 24 17:45:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2466768</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[K-P CM says since Centre fails to comprehend language of decency, he will now articulate it in a ‘different manner’]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has demanded a reduction in electricity loadshedding in the province, threatening to take over the system if the federal government fails to meet his demands.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Gandapur said that the federal government should issue a schedule for reducing loadshedding by tonight, and if it fails to do so, he will personally visit the PESCO&#39;s office to issue the schedule himself.

He also warned that if PESCO does not implement the schedule, the provincial government will take over the system and run it itself.

Read:Power sector suffers Rs589b loss

Gandapur&#39;s comments come as the province is facing severe power outages, with loadshedding lasting up to 12 hours a day in some areas.

However, Gandapur accused the federal government of not taking the issue seriously, saying that they are not willing to listen to the province&#39;s demands.

He also threatened to take drastic action if the federal government fails to meet his demands, saying that the provincial government will not hesitate to take over the system if necessary.

Gandapur asserted that since these individuals fail to comprehend the language of decency, he will now articulate it in a &quot;different manner.&quot;

The chief minister proposed that areas experiencing 10 to 12 hours of loadshedding should be reduced to 5 to 6 hours, while those enduring 15 to 16 hours should see a decrease to 8 to 10 hours.

Read: Power tariff may go up by Rs7 in July

Gandapur said that the federal government has been explicitly notified that the province&#39;s outstanding electricity dues should be offset from our funding allocation, insisting that they should not be referred to as &lsquo;electricity thieves&rsquo;.

He criticised the PML-N-led federal government, alleging their ascension to power through Form-47, citing irregularities during the February 8 polls. &quot;They have usurped our mandate and are subjecting us to oppression,&quot; he decried.]]>
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			<title>Peshawar: 16 feeders now load-shedding free</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2458510/peshawar-16-feeders-now-load-shedding-free</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2458510/peshawar-16-feeders-now-load-shedding-free#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 24 21:11:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2458510</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zero load shedding soon for feeders achieving target recovery and preventing power theft]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Following the declaration of Peshawar as a load-shedding-free district, the provincial task force has taken a significant stride by extending the status to 16 feeders across the city. In the upcoming days, most feeders in other districts, where recovery from non-paying consumers and the illegal use of electricity has been effectively curbed, are expected to be declared load-shedding-free as well.

Over the past four months, the task force has successfully recovered Rs1.5 billion from defaulting consumers in Peshawar. Acknowledging this achievement, tributes were paid to Commissioner Peshawar Division, CCP Peshawar, and Pesco Chief for their effective operations and the milestone of declaring Peshawar&rsquo;s 16 feeders as load-shedding-free.

Muhammad Abid Majeed, the head of the Provincial Task Force for Energy and Additional Chief Secretary of Home &amp; Tribal Affairs, expressed these views during the 8th session of the Provincial Task Force. The meeting, attended by divisional commissioners, Regional Police Officers, Deputy Secretary of the Energy Department Ijaz Khan, and PESCO Chief Executive Engineer Akhtar Hameed, highlighted the collaborative efforts to enhance electricity management in the province.

CEO PESCO Engineer Akhtar Hameed highlighted the task force&rsquo;s success in recovering dues and preventing electricity misuse, amounting to billions of rupees within a short span of four months. The campaign targeted 78 out of 99 feeders in Peshawar, resulting in a significant reduction in line losses, increased recovery targets, and the declaration of 16 feeders as load-shedding-free zones.

While concerns were raised about load shedding in 17 feeders in Mardan, Commissioner Mardan&rsquo;s commendable recovery of Rs2.6 billion was acknowledged. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2024.

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			<title>Miseries of energy consumers continue to mount</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2451573/miseries-of-energy-consumers-continue-to-mount</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2451573/miseries-of-energy-consumers-continue-to-mount#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Dec 23 20:40:08 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Zafar Bhutta]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2451573</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Electricity, gas and oil prices go through the roof, forcing consumers to cough up billions]]>
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				<![CDATA[The year 2023 brought unprecedented pain to consumers as energy prices went sky high with no imminent relief in sight.

The government jacked up prices of electricity, oil and gas to historic highs, fuelling a wave of inflation that sent prices of goods, particularly food items, soaring.

To add to the woes, the outgoing year saw no major investment in the energy sector. Though the government made big promises, no investment plan could materialise.

The current caretaker government took over reins of the country in August 2023 following the completion of tenure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.



Design: Ibrahim Yahya

Despite assurances of relief to the people, the PDM tenure proved to be the worst when energy prices were pushed to all-time highs. During 2023, energy consumers were burdened with an additional Rs1.52 trillion on account of surge in prices of oil, gas and electricity.

The government increased gas tariff by 251% in one year that left a cumulative impact of Rs711 billion on consumers. Of the total, prices were first raised up to 112% on January 1, 2023. Due to that increase, the consumers had to bear an additional burden of Rs310 billion.

On November 1, 2023, prices were again jacked up, this time up to 139%, putting an extra burden of Rs401 billion on consumers. The government made gas supply highly expensive in a bid to bridge the revenue shortfall of public gas utilities.

Similarly, the basic electricity tariff went up by Rs7.50 per unit during 2023, forcing consumers to bear an extra cost of Rs477 billion. With the price hike, average electricity tariff reached Rs29.78 per unit and after including taxes and surcharges, the tariff soared up to Rs50 per unit.

Read&nbsp;Unaffordable electricity

Electricity consumers were compelled to pay an additional Rs335 billion on account of a permanent surcharge of Rs3.23 per unit, which was slapped on March 31, 2023.

Additionally, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) frequently approved upward revisions in tariff throughout the year in the shape of fuel charges adjustment because of variation in fuel costs.

On several occasions, many power plants did not operate at all while honest consumers, who were regularly paying their bills, were made to pay capacity charges.

It was estimated that Rs1.3 trillion would be given in capacity payments to the plants that did not produce electricity during the ongoing financial year. This mismanagement in the power sector added to the miseries of consumers.

Oil prices

During the year under review, petroleum prices surged to record highs, driven by a soaring international crude market and a massive depreciation of Pakistani rupee. It largely contributed to the increase in inflationary pressures in the country.

A continued increase in the rate of petroleum levy, which reached up to Rs60 per litre, also contributed to the higher oil prices.

Over the course of the year, prices of petroleum products were raised up to Rs117 per litre. On January 1, the cost of petrol stood at Rs214.80 per litre but it reached Rs331.80 by September 16, 2023.

Similarly, the price of high-speed diesel had been Rs227.80 per litre at the start of 2023, but by September, it had gone up to Rs329.18.

Among fortnightly reviews, prices of petroleum products were revised upwards nine times during 2023 and were reduced eight times. In the case of eight fortnightly reviews, the prices were left unchanged.

Now, the caretaker government boasts that over the past three months, it has pushed down petrol price by Rs64.04 per litre. Similarly, diesel has become cheaper by Rs52.99 per litre between September 16 and December 16, 2023.

At present, petrol costs consumers Rs267.34 per litre while high-speed diesel is sold for Rs276.21 per litre. A key factor behind the significant decrease in prices is the weakening of global crude markets.

Circular debt

Despite the massive rise in prices of oil, gas and electricity, the energy sector&rsquo;s circular debt continued to put a strain on government finances. Total circular debt of the energy sector stood at Rs4.5 trillion without interest costs. Of this, Rs2.1 trillion worth of debt plagued the gas sector while the power sector was saddled with a debt pile of Rs2.3 trillion.

Owing to bank borrowing, the cost of circular debt in the power sector came in at Rs400 billion. In addition, a debt of Rs461 billion was created only in FY23 because of diversion of expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to domestic consumers.

The caretaker government claims that it has been able to freeze the circular debt following up to 139% rise in gas prices. However, the debt is still mounting due to the provision of imported LNG to residential consumers in winter, when demand goes up sharply.

Among major public sector energy companies, the circular debt continued to haunt oil marketing giant Pakistan State Oil (PSO) in 2023 when its receivables from clients swelled to Rs800 billion as compared to Rs362 billion in August 2021.

A public gas utility owes PSO Rs519 billion for LNG supplies. Power producers were also the major defaulters who had to pay Rs150.8 billion. Of these, Hubco owed Rs29.5 billion whereas Kapco had liabilities of Rs5 billion.

Inflated bills scam

During 2023, a scam of excessive billing worth Rs40 billion on the part of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) was unearthed.

Nepra exposed the scam through an investigative report, noting that DISCOs were involved in a dubious scheme of power theft, which caused heavy financial losses to millions of consumers through inflated bills.

The report denounced DISCOs for deliberately engaging in dishonest practices to hide their own inefficiencies, resulting in exorbitant electricity bills for thousands of consumers. Their malpractices included issuance of bills with invalid photo evidence of meter reading and extended billing cycles beyond 30 days, which deprived many consumers of the entitled subsidies.

Read more&nbsp;Electricity users to pay Rs28b more

Nepra&rsquo;s investigation revealed that during July and August 2023, domestic customers were excessively charged. In July, over 5.7 million customers of Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) received bills for a period longer than 30 days.

Similarly, in August, about 1.2 million customers of Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) along with substantial number of consumers of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco), Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) were overcharged.

Such malpractices pushed customers into higher tariff slabs, altered their status from protected to unprotected consumers and reclassified them from lifeline to non-lifeline categories.

The report pointed out that in July and August 2023, thousands of consumers got bills with invalid meter reading images. Major violators of rules were Mepco, Lesco, Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco).

According to the established tariff terms and conditions, the billing period should not exceed 30 days from the date of last meter reading. However, the investigation uncovered that billing cycles of several DISCOs ranged from slightly over 30 days to even 40 days or more, leading to significant extra billing to consumers.

Load-shedding

During the year 2023, the consumers of gas and electricity got no respite from frequent load-shedding. Even during summer, gas was not available for cooking after 10pm.

In winter, though the government had promised to provide gas three times a day, it was not even available at cooking time. Pakistan&rsquo;s gas reserves were depleting fast at a pace of 9% per year while no major discoveries were made during 2023 to bridge the supply deficit.

The situation was no better in the case of electricity outages that continued to trouble consumers during the year, particularly in summer.

Pakistan has an installed production capacity of 41,000 megawatts but many power plants do not function most of the time, resulting in load-shedding across the country. It was a blessing in disguise for the plants which received billions of rupees in capacity payments.

During the year, no major investment could be poured into the energy sector. Though the government floated bids for the auction of 10 exploration blocks, only eight were awarded as no new companies participated in bidding.

The year 2023 caused more pain to energy consumers who long waited for some relief. With the recent decline in global oil prices and the rupee&rsquo;s continuous recovery over the past few weeks, consumer woes may ease in the new year.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2023.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

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			<title>KE claims meeting most of targets</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2448317/ke-claims-meeting-most-of-targets</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2448317/ke-claims-meeting-most-of-targets#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 28 Nov 23 20:09:54 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Zafar Bhutta]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2448317</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Says 71% of area in Karachi is now free from load-shedding]]>
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				<![CDATA[K-Electric (KE) has claimed that it has achieved most of the targets, like significantly slashing power outages, curtailing losses and investment of around Rs550 billion for system improvement, set after its privatisation 18 years ago.

Speaking at a public hearing on Tuesday, representatives of the private power utility pointed out that only 6.6% of area in its jurisdiction had been exempt from load-shedding in 2005, but &ldquo;now 71% of the area in Karachi is free from outages&rdquo;.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) held the public hearing on a petition filed by KE for the grant of a non-exclusive distribution and supplier licence for the next 20 years to cover its service territory including Karachi, Dhabeji, Gharo in Sindh and Hub, Bela and Vinder regions in Balochistan.

The hearing was attended by various stakeholders such as Karachi industrialists and the general public. KE&rsquo;s senior leadership &ndash; Chief Financial Officer Aamir Ghaziani, Chief Distribution Officer Fawad Gilani and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Sadia Dada &ndash; represented the company to address the questions framed by the regulator.

Speaking about the expectations and results of privatisation, KE shared that a capital expenditure of around Rs544 billion ($4.4 billion) was made for improving power supply across Karachi.

This resulted in an addition of 1,957 megawatts of generation capacity and improvement of 12 percentage points in fleet efficiency from 30% in 2005 to 42% in 2023.

As the most efficient 900MW re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) power plant has been commissioned in the last quarter of financial year 2023, the fleet efficiency will increase to 49% when the plant is operated for the entire year. KE management shared that since privatisation, the company&rsquo;s transmission and distribution capacity had doubled while line losses had gone down by half.

Read:&nbsp;Reduced load shedding linked to high recovery

Most of the conversation revolved around tariffs and seeking tariff benefits for Karachi-based industries. Many participants expressed satisfaction with the performance of KE network and associated services while others asked for improved strategies.

In response to questions about improving the reliability of services, the company highlighted that it had invested in IT and tech-based interventions to modernise infrastructure and improve service delivery. These include initiatives such as the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) and deployment of 60,000 smart meters enabling greater visibility over power consumption trends.

KE CFO Aamir Ghaziani stated, &ldquo;We remain committed to providing customers with the best-quality services. Our Rs484 billion upcoming investment plan and proposed addition of over 1,200MW renewable energy are indicative of this.&rdquo;

The CFO pointed out that financing cost had increased due to a higher policy rate, adding that borrowing cost went up to 26%. He stated that there had also been recovery impact due to higher inflation that hit people&rsquo;s affordability. &ldquo;Consumer tariff went up around 110% in one and a half year, which also affected customers,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;These socio-economic issues have resulted in a loss for the company.&rdquo;

Usman Ali, an intervener, said that load-shedding should be based on the use of pole-mounted transformer (PMT) and feeders should not be shut down where losses were high. Other interveners highlighted billing issues and called for their resolution.

Imran Shahid, who represented the Jamaat-e-Islami, said that KE was generating expensive electricity that burdened the consumers, adding that there was a commitment at the time of privatising the utility that no subsidy would be provided in the future.

&ldquo;But there is still subsidy involved that is a burden on the national exchequer,&rdquo; he said.

He blamed Nepra for not releasing an industry report, which made the interveners unable to analyse the performance of the power sector. Though all interveners agreed that the company&rsquo;s licence should be renewed, they said that the power generation cost was higher and it should be reduced.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2023.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

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			<title>Gas price hike hits bangle makers</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2447674/gas-price-hike-hits-bangle-makers</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2447674/gas-price-hike-hits-bangle-makers#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 Nov 23 20:13:12 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2447674</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Labour leaders fear unemployment crisis in cottage industry]]>
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				<![CDATA[The senior office-bearers of the National Labour Federation (NLF) Sindh have expressed deep concern over the potential employment crisis looming in the bangle industry following the recent increase in gas prices. They have called upon the government to address this critical issue with the highest priority. 

Highlighting the significance of the bangle industry in Hyderabad, NLF President Shakeel Ahmed Sheikh, Senior Vice President Qasim Jamal, General Secretary Muhammad Umar Shar, and others emphasised that Hyderabad is the only city in Pakistan where glass bangles are manufactured. 

They said that millions of individuals, including a substantial number of women who sustain their livelihoods by crafting bangles and similar items in their homes, are associated with this industry. Regrettably, both the Sindh government and the Labour Dept have shown reluctance to address this issue, contributing to the gradual decline of this domestic industry.

Read:&nbsp;Reduced load shedding linked to high recovery

The NLF representatives stressed that if the upward trend in gas prices and persistent load shedding continues, the bangle industry, a symbol of Hyderabad, will face complete devastation. Millions of people dependent on this industry will be at risk of experiencing severe economic hardship. 

Intervention of the govt is required to prevent the collapse of this vital sector and safeguard the livelihoods of those dependent on it.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2023.]]>
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			<title>Land of flickering lights: Why Pakistan's power woes persist</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2429533/land-of-flickering-lights-why-pakistans-power-woes-persist</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2429533/land-of-flickering-lights-why-pakistans-power-woes-persist#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 06 Aug 23 09:44:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Zafar Bhutta]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2429533</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mismanagement, politically short-term goals and corruption impede Pakistan's power sector from working efficiently]]>
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				<![CDATA[Riaz lives in a one-room quarter in south Punjab. He is a farmer with a few acres of land and he waits for earnings every six months.

He has one ceiling fan alone to endure the scorching summer heat. Yet, he received a bill of Rs 8,000 for one month, he told Express Tribune; 8,000 for living in just one small room.

Around 43 percent of Riaz&#39;s total bill was charged as taxes and surcharges. He was paying debt surcharges, financial cost surcharges, federal excise duty, income tax, TV fee and an obscure fee was included under &#39;other tax&#39; which he never knew about it.

The power sector is one of those sectors where owners of power plants continue to flourish while the consumers are buried under the weight of paying dues worth billions of rupees on account of hiking power tariffs. The average national tariff has gone up to around Rs 30 per unit excluding taxes and the impact of fuel price adjustment. The impact of taxes and fuel price adjustment will be 25 percent over and above the national average power tariff.

This hike in price per unit is more bad news for everyone &mdash; especially consumers like Riaz &mdash; who already struggle to afford electricity. Furthermore, the capacity payments also add to the consumers&#39; miseries. This means that legal consumers paying regular bills are paying for idle power plants which do not operate but continue milking money from the consumers unbeknownst to them.

What is the problem?

Several issues have contributed to a lower power supply to the consumers.

Firstly, the subsidies that are involved in the power sector and the government has to announce subsidies for the power consumers in the new budget. The subsidy volume is based on the units supplied to the power consumers. So, the units are also budgeted every year to keep the subsidy volume within the limit. Therefore, the government avoids producing more units that could enhance the subsidy volume for the specific year.

There are some other factors as well.

Design: Mohsin Alam

Increase in installed capacity 

Since the Musharraf regime, all subsequent governments have focussed working on thermal power plants while ignoring the hydel power plants which are the real asset for the country. Hydel power plants not only produce power but also work as reservoirs to store water for irrigation. The major dams of Tarbela and Mangla were built during tenure of the Ayub Khan (1958 to 1969). Since then, no major dam has been completed.

In 2007-08, Pakistan&#39;s power generation installed capacity stood at 19,566 MW. In 2023, it has reportedly crossed 41,000 MW. Despite that, the miseries in the power sector continue in form of load shedding, tripping and higher electricity cost. With the increase of installed capacity, the circular debt had gone up and the cost of electricity has also gone up from Rs 12 per unit to Rs around Rs 30 per unit in 2023.

Several reasons led to higher electricity costs for power consumers.

Poor energy mix 

The first reason for the higher electricity cost is the poor energy mix. No government has succeeded to bring efficiency to the power sector or increase the generation capacity of hydel and renewable energy power plants. At present, the share of hydel power in the total energy mix amounts to 30 percent, according to figures presented to Nepra for the month of May 2023.

During the period under review, the share of coal was 17.7 percent, RFO 5.43 percent, indigenous gas 5.4 percent, RLNG 18.55 percent, nuclear 13.5 percent, wind 4.3 percent and solar 0.7 percent.

Imported fuel continues to dominate the power sector. The share of indigenous gas-based power plants is lower compared to power plants using RLNG, a type of fuel that was added to the power sector in 2015 when the PML-N government came into power. But this was imported fuel and had also become a rare commodity as the government had not been able to secure LNG contracts over the last two years due to its shortage and higher prices in the wake of the Ukraine war.

During the entire episode, the government does not seem to boost electricity from local resources. The PML-N government had made it possible to exploit Thar coal and power plants were installed. Now, Thar coal-based power plants can produce 2,400 MW. But there have been constraints in laying transmission lines and the NTDC had not been able to transport more than 1,400 MW of electricity.

The total electricity generation capacity during July-April 2022 has increased by 11.5 percent and it reached 41,557 MW from 37261 MW during the same period last fiscal year. The percentage share of hydel power in the total installed fuel-wise capacity has marginally reduced to 24.7 percent during July-April FY2022 as compared to its share in FY2021. The contribution of RLNG in the installed capacity has increased to 23.8 percent in July-April 2022 from 19.66 percent. The percentage share of coal remained the same, although there is an increase in the installed MW from 4,770 MW during July-April 2021 to 5,332 during July-April 2022.

The percentage contribution of gas has declined from 12.15 percent during July-April 2021 to 8.5 percent in July-April 2022.

There is an increase in the percentage share of renewable energy which is a good sign for the economy as well as for the environment. The percentage contribution of nuclear power has increased to 8.8 percent during July-April FY2022 from 6.68 percent during July-April FY2021.

The share of wind power has increased from 3.31 percent to 4.8 percent while the percentage share of solar power has increased from 1.07 percent in July-April FY2021 to 1.4 percent during July-April FY2022.

Design: Mohsin Alam

Poor investment in infrastructure 

The government had not been able to maintain a balance in investment in infrastructure. By prioritizing setting up thermal-based power plants the Pakistani government ignored focussing on investing in distribution and transmission lines. Although, the country had an installed generation capacity of 41,000 MW, the system was unable to transmit the electricity more than 26,000 MW.

Recently, NTDC had submitted claims to Nepra to allow liquidity damages to pay to power plants due to failure to transmit committed electricity of 2,400 MW from Thar coal-based power plants. It was claiming Rs 80 billion to recover from the power consumers. However, Nepra had shown reluctance to pass on to the consumers.

High capacity payments 

The present government had increased the average tariff from Rs 16 to around Rs 30 per unit during its tenure. The major portion was claimed by power producers on account of capacity payments.

This means that power plants were able to generate electricity but the system was not ready to pick. So, the government had to pay capacity payments to the power producers.

Faulty agreements with power producers

The governments had inked faulty agreements with power producers. Interestingly, the current government blamed the previous government for faulty agreements with power producers. The PTI government had blamed PML-N government for faulty agreements with power producers.

Circular Debt 

Between 2005 and 2010, the cost of generation in the country increased by 148% and the average tariff by 33% on account of increased international oil prices, a higher share of furnace oil in electricity generation and the rupee depreciation. The circular debt started to emerge in the late 2000s. Successive governments relied on heavy budgetary support and quasi-fiscal financing to eliminate it. However, the measures addressed the symptoms and not the root causes.

The cumulative budgetary support to the power sector amounted to Rs 3,202 billion from FY2007 to FY2019. An amount of Rs 2,860 billion was paid on account of budgetary subsidies and Rs 342 billion as a liquidity injection. Yet, the circular debt stock has continued to grow and increased by Rs 465 billion in FY2019 to around Rs 1,600 billion leading to total financial loss to the country of Rs 4,802 billion over the 13 years.

It caused an annual loss of around Rs 370 billion due to inefficiencies in the power sector. This is especially alarming because, with public indebtedness (public debt/GDP) having increased to 85% in FY2019 from 52% in FY2007 the movement&#39;s ability to provide fiscal support to the sector is now severely constrained.

Back in 2018, the share of capacity charges in generation costs was around one-third, but today it has doubled to two-thirds for two main reasons namely due to new generation capacity added in the past few years and the net hydel profits being paid to KP and Punjab by Wapda, a decision taken in 2017 by the Council of Common Interests.

Design: Mohsin Alam

Losses of Discos 

The losses of power distribution companies (discos) have been major concerns for the country that have contributed to higher electricity rates. These losses have been up to 40 percent for distribution companies. Earlier, the Nepra had allowed 12.5 percent losses to be recovered from the consumers. Later, it revised the benchmark and allowed power distribution companies to recover 15 percent losses from the power consumers. This also led to an increase in electricity rates.

Rather than tightening the noose around the power distribution companies to bring efficiency to reduce losses and power theft, it allowed power distribution companies to put an additional burden to the consumers. The low recovery of electricity bills has been also another reason that led to an increase in electricity rates. During the last 10 months, the recovery of electricity bills has been at 86 percent which was at the lowest level.

Revenue-based supply of electricity 

The other factor is that government supplies more electricity to those areas where the people pay more bills. It means that it cuts electricity supplies to those areas where the electricity bill connection is lower. Power distribution companies also use this formula to reduce their losses. Whenever they feel that their losses going up, they suspend supplies to different areas to cut the losses.

Flooding of IPPs

All the former governments continued working on installing Independent Power Plants (IPPs) based on imported fuel without taking into account the future impacts. Now, during a recent public hearing, it was made shocking disclosure that country had 45,000 MW installed capacity but the generation was only 26,000 MW during peak time. So, the consumers were paying capacity payments for the remaining IPPs. It has also come to be known that consumers will end up paying 90 percent of capacity payments during the next few years due to more power projects in the pipeline.

Why govt can&#39;t control tariff increase

The major reasons were that the government could not overcome increase in electricity rates due to the pumping of new power plants. The capacity was going to increase but the country was still facing a shortage of electricity. The major reason was that the transmission and distribution system was not ready to transport electricity. Secondly, more power plants were going to be inducted into the system and there was a burden of capacity payments on the consumers.

There is a myth that there was a surplus of power during the Musharraf regime. The number of customers during Musharraf regime was not too high. With the passage of time, the number of customers increased and therefore, the usage of electricity also increased. Then Nepra had said that new plants were based on around 6 percent economic growth. So, the economic growth declined and therefore, the demand of electricity also declined. But consumers still need electricity. However, the revenue-based formula and expensive electricity had resulted in a shortage.

The previous governments also avoided providing full supply to the consumers which could also result in political backlash due to higher prices of electricity.

During the PML-N tenure, the power division had assured the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that there would be no load shedding. But the country faced the worst load shedding in 2017 towards the end of the PML-N government&#39;s tenure. The major reason was a delay in new power plants. Nawaz Sharif was also assured that Neelum-Jhelum power plant would be online but that too was delayed.

Moreover, the PML-N government had paid Rs 480 billion to the IPPs, a case that landed in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The IPPs had assured to end load shedding by adding additional power to the national grid but they did not cooperate after receiving payment.

During Sharif&#39;s tenure, there were some other problems like electricity theft, losses, corruption in Discos and soaring circular debt that continued to plague the entire energy chain.

Design: Mohsin Alam

IMF and Electricity Rates 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has always pressured the Government of Pakistan to reduce subsidies in the power sector. It wants the government to run the power distribution companies (discos) on a commercial basis. It is against adhocism in the power sector and therefore had demanded to make a full recovery of the cost of electricity from the power consumers. According to the IMF, the subsidies in the power sector were causing hurdles to running the entire energy chain. This is why the present government had to increase the base tariff by around Rs 5 per unit.

Not enough dollars to import fuel

Pakistan&#39;s power plants were all being run on imported fuel. The current government faced a default-like economic situation when it had no dollars due to a delay in the IMF deal. It also put LCs in all sectors, including power sectors, on hold due to a shortage of dollars. A major portion of dollars was smuggled to Afghanistan. So, the government did not have any dollars to import fuel which also resulted in a shortage of fuel such as LNG.

Even, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) was not able to import LNG due to higher prices in the global market and failure to arrange spot LNG cargoes.

Issues in the power sector 

All the governments have been making political appointments of chief executive officers (CEOs) of power companies by setting aside the merit policy. The same is the case with the appointment of the board of directors of power companies. The objective of the board of directors is to formulate policies that bring efficiency and improvement in the companies. But they never worked to do so.

During the tenure of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 2010, Asia Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank had asked Pakistan to give a target to the CEOs to cut losses. PPP had also warned the CEOs to cut losses or face removal from jobs. But all that also went in the dustbin and no strategic measures were taken.

Losses in the power sector 

Power distribution companies like Hesco and Pesco face high losses of up to 40 percent. They have never been able to control losses. So, these losses continued rising and that led to an increase in circular debt. Moreover, the government enforces uniform tariffs across the country. This means that consumers of efficient power companies like Iesco were also paying to inefficient companies like Hesco and Pesco. This formula has also burdened consumers.

Short-term policies 

Every government follows short-term policies to get rewards in terms of building its political image. The quickest option to do that is to build IPPs. Buildings large dams like Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand dams take time so they are neglected projects. Such policies have shifted the focus on thermal power plants while ignoring hydel and renewable energy. This is a major reason that contributed to a hike in electricity rates due to poor energy mix.

The way forward 

The government should privatise the power sector which would help to bring efficiency and reduce corruption that had plagued the entire energy chain. The other option for the government is to hand over the companies to the provinces to run them. Thirdly, these companies should be split into small ones to put their house in order.]]>
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			<title>Businesses bear brunt of outages in Battagram</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2427915/businesses-bear-brunt-of-outages-in-battagram</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2427915/businesses-bear-brunt-of-outages-in-battagram#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 23 21:50:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[MUHAMMAD IRSHAD]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2427915</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Concerns voiced at jirga to address issues related to power outages and supply from Allai Khwar Hydropower Plant]]>
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				<![CDATA[Business owners in Battagram district said they were mulling shutting down their businesses due to power outages that sometimes persist for 18-20 hours. Residents also echoed similar concerns, saying that prolonged, unscheduled outages were making life difficult for people across the district.

These concerns were voiced at a jirga (council of tribal elders) in Battagram on Tuesday to address concerns related to power outages and the power supply from the Allai Khwar Hydropower Plant.

The jirga witnessed a significant turnout including participation from key political representative, administrative and public officials, business leaders, local influentials and other stakeholders.

Participants said that they had held several meetings with both administration officials and Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) representatives but there had been no concrete solution so far.

The jirga issued a joint announcement to deal with the issue of outages. It included a protest outside the deputy commissioner&#39;s residence and a sit-in at the Parliament House.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2023.]]>
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			<title>MQM-P deplores power outages in Ramazan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2408367/mqm-p-deplores-power-outages-in-ramazan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2408367/mqm-p-deplores-power-outages-in-ramazan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 26 Mar 23 20:23:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hyderabad]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2408367</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MNAs hold HESCO bosses responsible for incompetence of ground staff]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has decried power supply cuts by Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) in Ramazan.

Despite it being the fasting month, HESCO has shown no let up in the power outages, saidMQM-P MNAs from Hyderabad Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani and Salahuddin.

They said that the consumers run from pillar to post with the complaints of faults in the transmission system but their grievances remain never heard.

The utility takes weeks to replace burnt and damaged transformers, they deplored. They lamented that not only the unscheduled outages and long hours of scheduled load shedding traumatise the people, the unjustified bills and detection further add to their problems.

The MNAs blamed the higher officers of HESCO for being responsible for the disappointing performance of their staff. They said the officers sit in their air conditioned rooms all day and that they are least bothered about the troubles faced by the consumers.

The MNAs asked why a centralised one window service for correction of the bills is not being initiated despite repeated suggestions.

The MNAs also complained about gas load shedding and low pressure which is continuing even in Ramazan. According to them, they are receiving complaints from the citizens about low pressure or gas outage during Sehri and Iftar times. They asked the top officers Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) to take notice and address the problem. They blamed HESCO for making the people pay for the incompetence of its staff by causing outages and delivering unjust bills to their consumers.

The HESCO staff always invented excuses to justify the miseries being caused to the consumers, the MQM-P lawmakers said, adding, people are being forced to run from pillar to post though it is a matter of a fault in a transformer or the transmission system or the correction of wrong bills.

They deplored that neither a solution to the power theft was being found nor the problem of extended hours of scheduled load shedding, which was based on the line losses criteria, was being resolved. The MNAs said the summer season was on the horizon but no steps had been taken to upgrade the transmission system and demanded that the HESCO should drastically reduce the scheduled and unscheduled outages and the consumers&rsquo; complaints pertaining to wrong and detection bills should be addressed on priority.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2023.]]>
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			<title>Unannounced power outages test patience of twin cities</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2381614/unannounced-power-outages-test-patience-of-twin-cities</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2381614/unannounced-power-outages-test-patience-of-twin-cities#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 14 Oct 22 19:37:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondents]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2381614</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Electricity supply continues to play hide and seek with residents]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Unannounced and intermittent power outages of up to 10 hours have started to test the nerves of the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The Islamabad Electric Supply Company has resorted to frequent and unannounced load-shedding after a fault hit the national grid on Thursday.

The unannounced load-shedding has badly affected routine life and businesses in the twin cities. Hospitals and other vitals service providers are also bearing the brunt of the power cuts and the IESCO has failed to update consumers about the power outages.

Due to long hours of load shedding, the water supply is also affected resulting in a water shortage for daily usage including clean drinking water.

According to the IESCO officials, electricity will be restored as soon as there is a difference in supply and demand in the IESCO region. 

Yesterday, several areas of Rawalpindi including Westridge, Satellite Town, Sadiqabad, Chakri, Gawalmandi, Misrial Road, Chauhar Harpal, Naseerabad, Raja Bazar, Tench Bhata, Harley Street, Chaklala Scheme 3 and some of the rural areas went through prolonged power outage with rural areas facing load shedding for longer durations than the urban areas.

As per reports, several areas were going through constant power outages for consecutive 2-3 hours due to which the water supply of the area was badly affected with the closure of many filtration plants of both the city and the Cantonment area. 

As a result, citizens were deprived of clean drinking water as well.

According to the IESCO spokesperson, there is a temporary difference in the demand and supply of electricity in the IESCO region. 

Electricity load is being managed to minimize the demand and supply difference. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2022.]]>
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			<title>Fresh bid to devolve DISCOs to provinces</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2367026/fresh-bid-to-devolve-discos-to-provinces</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2367026/fresh-bid-to-devolve-discos-to-provinces#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 22 03:55:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Zafar Bhutta]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2367026</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Govt prepares framework to hand over DISCOS to provinces]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The federal government has decided to prepare a framework to hand over power distribution companies (Discos) to provinces amid protest over disparity in load-shedding by the cabinet members.

The previous governments had also made efforts to hand over discos to the provinces but they refused to take control of them due to involvement of subsidies, high theft and distribution losses.

The cabinet has now directed the power minister, power secretary and the Power Division to visit two best and two worst performing Discos and come up with their plans of privatisation or provincialisation.

During a recent cabinet meeting, the participants discussed the issue of disparity in load-shedding among provinces while observing slight improvement in power supply in certain areas, the official sources said.

Highlighting the issue in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the cabinet members noted that acute shortage of power supply in the former was adversely affecting limited agricultural interests.

The cabinet members suggested that against a demand of 800 megawatts, Balochistan immediately needed at least 600MW to sustain their agriculture and related activities.

Discussing Sindh, the participants of the meeting observed that &ldquo;unfair policy&rdquo; of K-Electric had further compounded and worsened the issue.

Issues such as departmental mismanagement and reconciliation of bills were also deliberated upon in the meeting.

On matters pertaining to line losses, the cabinet members recommended to ameliorate the situation through provincial engagement.

READ&nbsp;DISCOs send estimated bills to consumers: PAC

The cabinet was told that the energy minister was already deliberating a framework on the privatisation of Discos and handing over them to the provinces. The premier desired that any such framework may be brought before the cabinet with firmed up proposals.

The cabinet members noted that the huge gap in operational capacity resulted due to the PTI government&#39;s &ldquo;failure&rdquo; to execute projects, which had already been invested in. They were convinced that the gap of 4,000MW would not have occurred had timely decisions been taken by the previous government.

The lapse was criticised and condemned as a criminal delay, and a consensus had been reached that the facts needed to be brought to the knowledge of the people to counter the &ldquo;misleading and false&rdquo; narrative of the previous government about overcapacity.

Use of solar energy for domestic utilisation and off-grid solar solution for remote and dispersed areas was considered to be the most viable solution after a cabinet member underscored the need for a paradigm shift in the energy sector.

The cabinet members while expressing concerns about the ground water depletion observed that the strategy regarding conversion of tube wells to solar energy needed to be rational

Role of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) in the context of green energy solutions as a strategy for the future was also discussed in the meeting.

The premier while appreciating the suggestions reiterated that a sincere effort to move in this direction was the need of the hour. He directed the power minister and power secretary to bring firmed up proposals and plan on the issue in light of the cabinet members&#39; recommendations after due consultations with the provinces.

The premier directed the authorities concerned that no more than two hours load-shedding be carried out.

The cabinet took note of the presentation on load-shedding management by the Power Division and directed the power minister, power secretary and Power Division to bring firmed up proposals in the form of a comprehensive plan in the light of the cabinet members&#39; suggestions after due consultations with the provinces for consideration of the cabinet.

The Power Division secretary will target no more than two hours load-shedding henceforth.]]>
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			<title>Govt blames Imran regime's 'negligence' for power crisis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364619/govt-blames-imran-regimes-negligence-for-power-crisis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364619/govt-blames-imran-regimes-negligence-for-power-crisis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jul 22 16:03:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[APP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2364619</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Kaira claims power situation would improve within a few days with addition of 2,000MW to the grid]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan People&#39;s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on&nbsp;Monday&nbsp;said that people of the country were suffering from power outages due to the &#39;negligence&#39; of the previous, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, the PPP leader criticised the former ruling party for &quot;failing to commission several power generation plants as per schedule&quot;.



اسلام آباد: وفاقی وزراء کی پریس کانفرنس۔ https://t.co/q244CcpyIj
&mdash; PML(N) (@pmln_org) July 4, 2022


He was flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Petroleum Musaddiq Malik and Minister for Energy Khurram Dastagir.

According to Kaira, who is also the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Imran-led government delayed projects of about 4,000 megawatts which had to be completed by 2020 or 2021.

If those projects were timely completed, the prevalent situation of power outages could have been avoided, he asserted.

Also read: NEPRA jacks up power prices for Karachi again

The PPP leader on the occasion announced that power supply situation would improve within the next four to five days as about 2,000 megawatts of inexpensive power would be added to the grid via increased inflows and enhanced hydel production from the Tarbela dam.

He added that as opposed to the production of nearly 24,000 megawatts of power, its demand had jumped to 30,000 megawatts.

&quot;Despite paying a Rs1,072 billion of subsidy on power this year, circular debt has increased by Rs283 billion.&quot;

Kaira furthered that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed to minimise power outages to three hours as the coalition government was well versed with the problems being faced by the people already purturbed by inflation.

Turning his guns back towards the Imran Khan-led government, he blamed their lackadaisical approach for the miseries of the people and incumbent government.

He added that &quot;difficult decisions were taken to save the country from going into a default.&quot;]]>
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			<title>JI gives three-day deadline to K-Electric</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364456/ji-gives-three-day-deadline-to-k-electric</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364456/ji-gives-three-day-deadline-to-k-electric#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jul 22 21:14:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2364456</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Wanrs power utility to end load shedding or face protests]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, in his closing address to the protest sit-in at the K-Electric head office, announced a three-day deadline for the power utility&#39;s administration to end load shedding. 

&quot;If that it does not end, we will hold a long sit-in on Shahra-e-Faisal. If load shedding continues, the protest will be expanded,&quot; he warned. The nominated chairman, vice chairman and councilors of Jamaat-e-Islami will protest in their respective areas. He said the party had no desire to block roads, but would be left with no alternative if K-Electric did not &quot;come on track&quot;.

&quot;The worst load shedding has overwhelmed the entire population. K-Electric is a private company, but all governments and ruling parties support it and have turned it into a political mafia.&quot; He added that billions of rupees are being given as a subsidy annually to the power utility. 

He alleged that this &#39;mafia&#39; had set aside Mafia has priced millions of rupees for all parties and governments. &quot;If there was a mayor of Jamaat-e-Islami, K-Electric would not have the courage to oppress the citizens of Karachi. We would like to ask Miftah Ismail and his predecessor Asad Umar as to under which agreement K-Electric was being supplied with gas, while it is a non-payer of Sui Southern Gas dues.&quot; 

The JI Karachi Ameer said that those who were given the mandate by the people have destroyed Karachi. &quot;Even today, their prices are being set.&quot; Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that the fault in the Dhabeji pipeline was also due to the load shedding of K-Electric. &quot;The federal and provincial governments have deprived the people of Karachi of their right to live. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah says that there is a leakage of water. We want to say that it is not a leakage, but corruption.&quot; 

He accused PPP and MQM together of depriving the people of Karachi of transport. &quot;If Karachi pays taxes, the whole country runs, but it is deprived of education, health, better transport, circular railways and educational institutions.&quot; 

He asserted that the Jamaat-e-Islami is determined to build model schools in Karachi if a mayor from their party takes the reins of the city. &quot;Nematullah Khan started the K-4 project after completing the K-3 project. After 2005, MQM has been in municipal government twice and Nawaz League for five years. PTI has been in charge of the federal government for almost four years, while PPP has been ruling in Sindh for 14 years, but none of them completed the K-4 project.&quot;

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2022.]]>
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			<title>PM inaugurates 'Innovation Hub'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364184/pm-inaugurates-innovation-hub</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364184/pm-inaugurates-innovation-hub#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jul 22 11:17:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2364184</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Loadshedding to be tackled by restoring halted projects, says PM Shehbaz]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The objective of the programme is to facilitate the participation of the public in national policies. The establishment of the IHP will also play an important role in harmonizing policy making with the needs of the country.

On the occasion, the PM was also briefed that under the program, suitable ideas will be scrutinised through a national television programme. Later on, the best ideas will be implemented in policy making by the Strategic Reforms Unit.

The participants were also given a brief opportunity to share their ideas with the premier about public policy.

Addressing the participants on the occasion, PM Shehbaz expressed his commitment to promoting this program personally. He said that under the programme, special cells would be created in all ministries where young talent can share their ideas for improving the respective ministry&#39;s performance.

PM Shehbaz Sharif, addressing another meeting in Islamabad, reiterated his resolve to overcome power outages by restoring halted projects.

During the meeting held to review measures on controlling load-shedding, the prime minister said that efforts are afoot to make all power plants functional.

&ldquo;The government is taking every possible step to control the electricity load-shedding to facilitate the consumers,&rdquo; said the PM as he noted that the challenges faced by the energy sector were due to bad policies of the previous government. Still, he said, &ldquo;we are committed to addressing them&rdquo;.

Expressing his dismay, the premier said he &ldquo;regretted that the previous government didn&#39;t take this issue seriously and no purchase agreement for gas supply was made when the prices were low globally.&rdquo;

The lack of maintenance of power plants during the tenure of the previous government resulted in a power shortage, according to PM Shehbaz.

He said, &ldquo;the previous government even delayed the Haveli Bahadur Shah Plant which has the capacity to produce 1250 megawatt electricity.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Commission to probe Imran-led regime's role in energy crisis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364047/commission-to-probe-imran-led-regimes-role-in-energy-crisis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364047/commission-to-probe-imran-led-regimes-role-in-energy-crisis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 22 13:34:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2364047</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PML-N says Imran could face treason charges for ‘subverting Constitution’]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The PML-N-led government on Thursday maintained that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could face treason charges for &ldquo;subverting the Constitution&rdquo; to prevent his ouster from the power through a vote of no-confidence motion and announced to constitute a commission on the directives of Premier Shehbaz Sharif to probe the &quot;mismanagement&quot; by the former premier&rsquo;s regime that &quot;worsened the energy crisis&rdquo;.

&ldquo;Imran has been saying that he was asking the neutrals (a reference to country&rsquo;s establishment) to intervene. This is a case of Article 6 for violating the Constitution,&rdquo; Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said while addressing a news conference here.

She was flanked by senior PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal.

The information minister said people were asking the PTI chief why he did not dissolve the assemblies and initiate an inquiry by setting up a commission on the &ldquo;so-called&rdquo; foreign conspiracy if he had received the cipher on March 8.

&ldquo;Imran Khan did not hold inquiry into the matter as he knew that it was a &lsquo;blatant lie&rsquo; which he started propagating after foreseeing his imminent defeat in the no-confidence motion tabled by the then opposition in the National Assembly.&rdquo;

Regarding the PTI chairman&rsquo;s announcement to challenge the Lahore High Court decision about the Punjab chief minister&rsquo;s election, Marriyum observed that the former premier had &ldquo;ceded&rdquo; high moral ground for filing an appeal before the apex court which had already decided against his constitutional transgression with 5-0.

&ldquo;According to that decision of apex court, Imran Khan did violate the Constitution by influencing the National Assembly Speaker, Punjab governor and other representatives of the government, while the ruling of the then deputy speaker was declared unconstitutional,&rdquo; she said.

Speaking on the occasion, the PML-N leaders announced that a commission would be formed on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that would &ldquo;bring forth the flawed decisions by the PTI regime in the petroleum sector that led to the prevailing energy crisis&rdquo;.

&ldquo;Its (commission) purpose is also to expose the corruption during the tenure of the PTI government,&rdquo; PML-N Senior Vice-President Abbasi. He added that the body would also help bring forth details of the increase in circular debt and the additional borrowing.

The PML-N stalwart alleged that the decisions taken by the Imran-led cabinet had caused billions of losses to the country.

According to him, the proceedings of the commission would be kept open for the people and media.

&ldquo;The government has taken the reins of power two months ago,&rdquo; Abbasi said. &ldquo;The circumstances in which we took power were identified in November and December last year.&rdquo;

He said people were perturbed because of load-shedding, stressing that a probe was necessary to determine the causes of the crisis.

Expressing his views, Planning Minister Iqbal asserted that the ineligibility of the PTI-led government was the reason behind the prevailing energy crisis.

Regarding the prevailing situation in the country, the planning minister vowed to stabilise the economy &ldquo;within days&rdquo;.

With input from APP]]>
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			<title>Woman dies in Karachi power protests</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2363715/woman-dies-in-karachi-power-protests</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2363715/woman-dies-in-karachi-power-protests#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 22 09:59:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondents]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Karachi]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2363715</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[16 hours load-shedding observed in country]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The exasperated people of Karachi on Tuesday took to the streets in protest against prolonged power outages in stiffening hot and humid weather

Protesters in various areas of the country&rsquo;s commercial hub hurled rocks at the police and the cops retaliated with tear gas and baton charge. They also arrested several protesters after talks between the two sides failed.

A 60-year-old woman reportedly died in Karachi&rsquo;s Mauripur area on Tuesday following police action at a protest against hours-long load-shedding in the city.

The woman was identified as Meeran Bibi, wife of Abdul Karim. She was a resident of Hingorabad.

However, police denied that the woman died as a result of police brutality against the protesters. SSP City said the deceased was aged 70 and died a natural death. &ldquo;Negotiations are underway for the autopsy of the deceased,&rdquo; they added.



As power outages increase to a draining 12-hour a day, frustrated citizens took to the streets of Karachi&#39;s Mauripur area to protest. In a bid to curtail the protest, police started shelling the protesters.#etribune #news #Karachi #loadshedding pic.twitter.com/BfYOyohBcV
&mdash; The Express Tribune (@etribune) June 28, 2022


The officer said K-Electric should be booked for the death of the elderly woman and added that the protesters were out on the roads as they did not have power for the last 12 hours. &ldquo;Police have footage of the incident,&rdquo; he said, adding that people should not pay heed to &ldquo;baseless rumours&rdquo;.

The residents of the city&rsquo;s densely-populated FC Area also came out on the streets to protest.

They protested outside KE&rsquo;s office against the prolonged and unannounced power outages. Though the office was closed and the staff was absent, protesters vented their anger by hurling stones and chanting slogans.

Law enforcement agencies rushed to the spot and dispersed the protesters using baton charge.

Read Load-shedding makes lives of people a living hell

Residents also took to the streets and blocked roads in Liaquatabad, Jahangirabad, Nazimabad, PIB Colony, Korangi Town, Ilyas Goth, Future Morr Landhi, and Allahwala Town Korangi localities resulting in massive gridlocks across the city.

Similarly, people are stuck in traffic jams on Mauripur Road, Hub River Road, RCD Highway, Mai Kolachi Road and Boat Basin.



Gridlock at Gizri due to protest at Maripur road against electricity failure. Massive traffic jam on Mai Kolachi &amp; surrounding roads.

Protest is continue since last night. Avoid these routes. pic.twitter.com/oWnSRAzkFx
&mdash; Halaat Updates (@halaatupdate) June 28, 2022


A spokesperson for the traffic police said that unless an official of KE talked to the protesters and the utility restored their power supply, it would be difficult to disperse them. People were also facing water shortages because of the excessive outages.

Residents said they were given power for an hour after facing two-hour of outages. In several areas, there was no electricity for up to six hours.

In Baldia Ittehad Town, Qaimkhani Colony, Gulshan Ghazi, Gulshan-e-Areesha, Scheme 33 Garden, Malir, Rizwan Society, Ilyas Goth Korangi, Burns Road, City Railways Colony, and Nusrat Bhutto Colony, people were facing power outages from 11pm to 1am and 4am to 7am. They said that there was no prior announcement for the outages.

A KE spokesperson stated that power outages were being conducted in high-pilferage areas.

As per the KE&rsquo;s spokesperson, &ldquo;During last 24 hours, the average power supply to Karachi has been 2,700 megawatts, including an average of 1,000MW received from the national grid.&rdquo;

The spokesperson said, &ldquo;Due to the rise in temperature, the power demand has also surged because of which the power shortfall, which used to be 250 to 300MW on average, has risen to an average of 400 to 500MW.&rdquo;

He added that the shortfall persisted round the clock, and the utility was compelled to conduct load-shedding even during the night hours for which &ldquo;we deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our consumers&rdquo;.

The spokesperson further added, &ldquo;Power production is also adversely affected because of fuel shortage for power generation and the steep rise in its prices on a global scale.

&ldquo;Due to the non-supply of indigenous gas, KE&rsquo;s power plants having the capacity to produce 200MW, are also non-operational. At the same time, because of the delay in the payment of Tariff Differential Subsidies (TDS) claims by the government of Pakistan, the utility is also facing challenges in the procurement of fuel.&rdquo;

In this regard, he said, the KE had requested the federal government to release at least Rs25 billion on account of TDS.

Currently, the KE was utilising all available resources for power generation and was constantly in touch with the relevant organisations for the availability of fuel in the required quantity.

PTI Central Secretary General Asad Umar condemned the PPP government&rsquo;s &ldquo;fascism&rdquo; in Sindh.

&ldquo;In a democratic society, the people have no choice but to express their plight through peaceful protests,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Genuinely, democratic governments try to solve the problems of peaceful protesters instead of using force.&rdquo;

Separately, the power shortfall in the country reached 7,500MW as the electricity generation was 21,700MW against the 29,200MW demand, sources in the Power Division said.

The duration of power outages in several parts of the country hit 16 hours per day, they added.

The current demand for power in the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) region was 2,545MW, its spokesperson said.

He added that the load management duration across the region had been increased because of the 500MW shortfall and system overload.

He said power supply from various power grid stations in the region had been completely suspended.

The spokesperson said the operations staffs were present in the field to address individual grievances and appealed to the consumers to cooperate with the IESCO in this difficult situation.]]>
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			<title>Industrial sector exempted from loadshedding: Dastgir</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2360734/industrial-sector-exempted-from-loadshedding-dastgir</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2360734/industrial-sector-exempted-from-loadshedding-dastgir#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 22 04:17:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2360734</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Energy crisis to gradually subside with significant improvement from July onwards, says minister]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Federal Minister for Power Engineer Khurram Dastgir on Wednesday said the industrial sector has been exempted from the prevailing energy crunch as the sector now experienced &ldquo;zero loadshedding&rdquo;.

Addressing a press conference, the minister claimed the government has brought down the loadshedding to only three and half hours in around 84 per cent feeders across the country, adding the crisis would gradually subside with a significant improvement from July onwards.

He said the total power generation stood at 22,010 megawatts against the demand of 26,227 megawatts while the shortfall hovered around 4000 megawatts. He announced that the power system would be able to generate optimum power within the next two to three weeks.

The power minister&rsquo;s statement comes a day after the federal cabinet decided to slash the fuel quota for itself as well as the government employees by 40 per cent while restoring Saturday holiday for the public sector as part of the government&rsquo;s austerity measures aimed at balancing its books amid a fierce squeeze on energy and shrinking room for spending.

Pakistan has experienced hours-long power cuts over the last month, with urban centres seeing four- to six-hour outages a day and rural areas over eight hours, as temperatures across the country soar &ndash; to 50 degrees Centigrade in some areas.

He said that in order to provide maximum relief to the masses and plug the power deficit, inventories such as furnace oil have to be pumped into the national grid system and the sources for electricity have to be diversified.

Read&nbsp;CM takes up loadshedding, inflated billing with Centre

Moreover, Khurram continued, the ministry was also arranging to import coal power plants.

He voiced hope that the addition of 600 megawatts of coal-based power generation would further reduce load-shedding. &ldquo;K-2 nuclear power plant which was under refuelling process would also start generating 1100 megawatts which would further help decrease power outage.&rdquo;

He said, unfortunately, currently hydroelectric generation stood at around 3,196 megawatts due to reduced water inflow in the rivers. The government was also making all-out efforts to operationalize RLNG based Trimmu power project shorty to further bridge power demand, he said.

The minister said that more electricity was generated in April-May but this year the country witnessed unprecedented power demand during the said period due to a sharp increase in temperature.

He said the government has planned various measures including early closure of markets, two weekly off and one-day work from home to conserve maximum electricity.

In response to a question, the minister clarified the government has decided that no more power plants would be set up in the country based on imported fuel in future. The massive investment would be carried out in solar energy in order to increase its share up to 10,000 megawatts.]]>
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			<title>Load-shedding persists as shortfall increases</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2357797/load-shedding-persists-as-shortfall-increases</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2357797/load-shedding-persists-as-shortfall-increases#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 22 May 22 06:59:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2357797</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Insufficient fuel supply causes low power generation as attempts to restore it fail]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The country&rsquo;s strained power system continues to fall short of meeting the leap in demand as the mercury rises skyward.

According to the sources, the insufficient fuel supply has been taking a heavy toll on power generation whereas the attempts to restore it have not yielded enough electricity to meet the demands. The electricity shortfall has increased to 6,085 megawatts against the demand of over 26,500 megawatts while the total production stood at 20,415 megawatts, sources shared and added that as a result, daily blackouts on Saturday plunged consumers in many parts of the country into darkness for nearly eight hours.

The situation was particularly worse in localities with high losses.

About 487 megawatts were being generated from wind power plants while electricity production from solar plants was zero. Bogas-powered plants were generating 170 megawatts while power generation from nuclear fuel was 2,283 megawatts.

Private sector power plants were the major producers of electricity, producing 10,615 megawatts.

Pakistan&rsquo;s total power generation capacity was 36,039MW while the shortfall had led to frequent load-shedding.

It is pertinent to mention that on Thursday, as the shortfall continued to increase, Federal Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir said that Pakistan was experiencing more load-shedding than expected. He attributed the current situation to the delay in procurement of coal, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and furnace oil by the previous government.

He said that the country was suffering the consequences of the &ldquo;tsunami of mismanagement&rdquo;.

He mentioned that some power plants had to be shut down due to a 300 per cent increase in the price of coal.

The federal minister also alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan&rsquo;s government did not make payments to independent power producers (IPPs).

He also said that the government had started preparations for July and August and the Petroleum Division signed agreements for four gas cargoes. He claimed that the fuel crisis had been solved.]]>
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			<title>Load-shedding intensifies as shortfall hits 5,053MW</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2357468/load-shedding-intensifies-as-shortfall-hits-5053mw</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2357468/load-shedding-intensifies-as-shortfall-hits-5053mw#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 May 22 05:35:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2357468</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Govt says fuel crisis has been resolved as ‘we have bought all the LNG we need’]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As people desperately await an end to load-shedding amid the sweltering summer heat, the electricity shortfall has increased to 5,053 megawatts (MW), sources informed The Express Tribune on Thursday.

Pakistan is currently producing 21,447MW against demand of over 26,500MW. Power generation from hydropower sources amounted to 4,858MW while governmental thermal plants were producing 1,10MW.

About 1,260MW was being generated from solar power plants while electricity production from wind was zero. Bogas-powered plants were generating 153MW while power generation from nuclear fuel was 2,251MW. Private sector power plants were the major producers of electricity, producing 11,695MW.

Pakistan&rsquo;s total power generation capacity was 36,039MW while the shortfall had led to frequent load-shedding, with power cuts of 10-12 hours recorded in different parts of the country.

According to an Islamabad Electric Supply Company spokesperson, the demand for electricity in their region was 2,147MW, and as soon as the supply normalised, uninterrupted electricity would resume in the areas. The spokesperson also apologised for inconvenience during the &ldquo;temporary crisis&rdquo;.

On Thursday, as the shortfall continued to increase, Federal Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir and Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik held a news conference to address the issue.

Dastgir said that Pakistan was experiencing more load-shedding than expected. He attributed the current situation to the delay in procurement of coal, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and furnace oil by the previous government.

He said that the country was suffering the consequences of the &ldquo;tsunami of mismanagement&rdquo;.

He also said that the incumbent government ensured good recovery and zero load-shedding on low-deficit feeders from May 1 to May 12.

He mentioned that some power plants had to be shut down due to 300 per cent increase in the price of coal.
The federal minister also alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan&rsquo;s government did not make payments to independent power producers (IPPs).

He also said that the government had started preparations for July and August and the Petroleum Division signed agreements for four gas cargoes. He claimed that the fuel crisis had been solved.

Commenting on the shortfall, he said that it had increased due to the closure of Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant, which had to been closed for repairs.

Highlighting that they had to control electricity prices, Dastgir said, &ldquo;The deficit is rising due to price controls. Our government wants to move towards balance and continuity.

Malik told the media that in November, 400 units of gas were required, and an additional 500 units were required in January, February and March, but half of it was purchased.
&ldquo;We have brought all the LNG we need,&rdquo; he said.]]>
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			<title>Power outages cause water crisis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2357025/power-outages-cause-water-crisis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2357025/power-outages-cause-water-crisis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 22 20:28:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2357025</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Unannounced long load shedding and extreme heat prevail]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The water crisis has started in the inner city and surrounding areas due to unannounced long load shedding and extreme heat.

The three dams which supply water to the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam and Simli Dam, have started running out of water due to continuous drought.

If the area does not have torrential rains till May 31, water rationing will start in early June when the water supply from the three dams in the twin cities dwindles.

Due to extreme heat and load shedding, tube wells supplying water to WASA and cantonment boards have also started failing to supply water. Water supply from all shallow tube wells is declining.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2022.]]>
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			<title>People left high and dry with 18-hour power outages</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2354616/people-left-high-and-dry-with-18-hour-power-outages</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2354616/people-left-high-and-dry-with-18-hour-power-outages#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 22 15:14:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2354616</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[NEPRA says power firms seek recovery of more than Rs41.98b]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The people across the country were left high and dry on Thursday as electricity played hide and seek for up to 18 hours with them in some areas while in others up to 12 hours.

According to sources, the power generation capacity of the country stood at 18,700 megawatts against the demand of 27, 200MW, reflecting a shortfall of 8,500MW.

They said that 14,000MW is being generated from private sector power plants, 3,800MW from hydropower sources, and 900MW from thermal power plants.

Officials at the Power Division said that the total power generation capacity in the country was 36,016MW, which could not be fully restored.

The Tarbela Dam has been generating only 600MW of electricity for the last two months due to extremely low water level. The sources maintained that the same could be said for Mangla Dam where power generation stood at 500MW.

Also read:&nbsp;Power cuts in scorching heat leave people exasperated

Meanwhile, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) conducted a hearing on the quarterly adjustment application of power distribution companies.

Nepra chairman and Sindh member heard the case while Peshawar Electric Supply Company and others were in attendance.

Nepra officials said the power companies had filed applications for recovery of more than Rs41.98 billion.

&ldquo;Six of them have filed review petitions, while four have not yet applied for review.&rdquo;

At the start of the hearing, Nepra chairman told the officials of power companies to always come prepared according to their statistics.

Nepra Sindh member inquired if the power company did not buy its quota of electricity, who is burdened?

Also read:&nbsp;Power cuts return as shortfall tops 7,000MW

The power company officials failed to satisfy Nepra on the capacity purchase price.

The Sindh member sought the power purchase agreement with the power companies, saying it would be reviewed in detail.

Pesco officials apprised the Nepra chairman that they were increasing revolving credit by Rs32 billion every year, saying that disadvantages of debt collection were different.

Nepra officials said that power companies were increasing their revolving credit from Rs130 billion to Rs150 billion annually. &ldquo;This amount is increasing due to the reduction in receivables of companies,&rdquo; the officials said.]]>
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			<title>Prolonged power outages irk residents</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2354093/prolonged-power-outages-irk-residents</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2354093/prolonged-power-outages-irk-residents#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 22 19:23:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2354093</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[They complain 8 to 12 hours of load-shedding also causing water crisis]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The duration of unannounced load shedding in the garrison city and cantonment areas has reached eight hours while in the suburban areas it has exceeded 12 hours.

Residents said that the power outages intensify at night in urban and rural areas. This has caused an undue burden on fasting persons who face difficulties in preparing food during Ramazan.

The water supply system of the city has also been completely paralyzed by the excessive load shedding forcing residents to get water from remote areas. It has also affected tube wells, as during water delivery times, load shedding starts in the affected areas, which disrupts the water supply from the tube wells.

The power crisis has also been affecting the tailors&#39; sewing work as Eidul Fitr is approaching soon and they have to fulfill a large number of orders from customers.

A resident of Gulistan Colony Waqas Ali and Asher Chaudhry of Muslim Town said that every two hours the power goes out for one hour and this disrupts business in the area. They said young children also suffer because of the extreme heat. They demanded that the government issue a proper schedule for load shedding and completely abolish unannounced load shedding.

Kamil Hassan of Dhok Elahi Bakhsh and Dawood Ahmed of Arya Mohalla said that water supply from tube wells was also cut off due to power outages. Ahmed suggested that Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) work out a schedule of load shedding in consultation with each other.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2022.]]>
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			<title>Hammad announces ‘massive investment’ in power transmission system</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2325925/hammad-announces-massive-investment-in-power-transmission-system</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2325925/hammad-announces-massive-investment-in-power-transmission-system#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 21 14:39:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2325925</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rs111 billion will be invested to enhance national grid system capability, says energy minister]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A massive investment of Rs111 billion will be made during the next three years into the power transmission system via the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) in a bid to reduce the power shortages in the country, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar announced on Friday.

In a tweet, the federal minister said the investment will increase the capability of the national grid system to transmit 28,750 and 31,500 megawatts (MW) in the summer of 2023 and 2024 respectively.

&ldquo;In 2018, we started off with just 20,811 MW,&rdquo; he added.



A massive investment of Rs 111 Bn will be made during next 3 years into the power transmission system via NTDC. This will increase the capability of national grid system to transmit 28,750 MW &amp; 31,500 MW in summer of 2023 &amp; 2024 resp.
In 2018, we started off with just 20,811 MW.
&mdash; Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) October 22, 2021


Earlier in June this year, the NTDC successfully transmitted 23,633MW highest-ever electricity transmission through the National Power Control Centre (NPCC).

The NTDC spokesperson had said that on June 10, 2020, maximum 18,392MW power was transmitted through the NTDC network. The present increase of 18.4 % electricity transmission of 5,241MW compared to the previous year, indicates the positive growth in the power sector, he added.

Also read: Minister, SAPM laud NTDC on 23,633 MW transmission

Earlier this month, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has allowed an increase of Rs1.65 per unit in power tariff, under quarterly adjustments, which will empower the distribution companies to collect Rs173 billion from consumers in the next one year.

The electricity consumers were expecting some relief at the expiry of early adjustments of Rs1.62 per unit on September 30, 2021, however, Nepra announced the transfer of new adjustments equal to Rs1.65 per unit to the consumers with effect from October 1, 2021.

According to Nepra spokesperson, the regulator allowed power distribution companies to increase power tariff by Rs0.8276 per unit for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2019-20, and Rs0.8966 for the first and second quarters of FY2020-21.]]>
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			<title>Villages without power for two days</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2320075/villages-without-power-for-two-days</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2320075/villages-without-power-for-two-days#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 13 Sep 21 20:47:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2320075</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Residents threaten to surround the relevant offices if the impaired transformer is not fixed]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The residents of Baghan Kalal Kot village warned to surround the office of Galiyat SDO and XEN offices if they do not fix the impaired transformer by Tuesday (today). 

The transformer of Bhajan Kala Kot village is out of order for the past two weeks because of which it is without electricity. 

The locals said they contacted lineman Azam Khan and Zubair Khan, who demanded backhanders for fixing it. Upon refusal, the officials didn&rsquo;t send a team for fixing the transformer and the village is dwelling in the dark for the past two weeks. 

Read&nbsp;Hydel power generation hits highest level in 2021

The locals said MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi and MPA Sardar Aurangzeb have lent a deaf ear to their complaints as well. 

The locals have warned to surround the offices of SDO Aijaz Khan and XEN office if the transformed is not repaired until Tuesday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2021.]]>
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			<title>Ministers lambast Shehbaz for playing up power, gas issues</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2310176/ministers-lambast-shehbaz-for-playing-up-power-gas-issues</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2310176/ministers-lambast-shehbaz-for-playing-up-power-gas-issues#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jul 21 19:06:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2310176</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Fawad says PML-N president should explain his position regarding allegations of corruption]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif &ldquo;played up&rdquo; the power and gas issues instead of explaining his position with regard to the allegations of corruption against him.

&ldquo;Shehbaz should have answered the queries about alleged laundering of Rs25 billion abroad on forged documents, but he narrated that he had built Metro Bus Service in Punjab,&rdquo; he said while addressing a news conference along with Energy Minister Hammad Azhar and Prime Minister&rsquo;s Adviser on Accountability Shahzad Akbar on Monday.

Similarly, he claimed that when he (Shehbaz) was asked that his sons had transferred billions of rupees abroad, he told the investigators that he had worked on water supply schemes.

When questioned about billions of rupees transferred to his accounts, Shehbaz said he had served the Punjab province, the minister added.

Further, Azhar said Shehbaz was misleading the public through false statements, as there was no unannounced electricity load-shedding across the country.

Also read:&nbsp;Shehbaz fires broadside at govt

He said the government was working hard to remove the weaknesses in electricity transmission system.

&ldquo;If there is load-shedding in a few areas, it is only due to rain, storms, accidents or electricity theft incidents.&rdquo;

There was no power shortage in the country as the system was able to produce 24,500 megawatts of electricity recently due to the efforts of the incumbent government, he said.

The minister said the expensive power projects installed by the PML-N were a huge burden on the national kitty. The country had been paying Rs180 billion extra to power houses which would increase to Rs1,300 billion in the coming years due to agreements of the previous regime, he added.

Azhar said due to the false policies of the PML-N government, the country was facing circular debt worth Rs400 billion annually. However, it had been reduced to Rs177 billion in the current year due to the efforts of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

The PML-N government, he said, had paid Rs400 billion circular debt at once as it came to power in 2013 but, it again reached Rs1,200 billion when it left the government in 2018.

He pointed out that former chief minister Punjab had installed a power plant of imported coal in Sahiwal which was beyond someone&#39;s imaginations.

The incumbent government, Azhar said, was now saving Rs700 billion annually through renewing agreements with the power houses.

The minister said the average electricity consumption in the country was 16,000 MW, adding that it used to reach to 24,000 MW for a month-and-a-half, only once in a year.

The PML-N government had made agreements with power houses to generate 30,000 MW electricity and the country was responsible to make payments, he maintained.

The energy minister said the incumbent had introduced low-priced projects of RLNG in the country.

(With input from APP)]]>
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			<title>‘Power crisis due to govt’s incompetence’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2308691/power-crisis-due-to-govts-incompetence</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2308691/power-crisis-due-to-govts-incompetence#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jul 21 19:19:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[RAMEEZ KHAN.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2308691</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Shehbaz Sharif says PTI lies when it claims PML-N govt set up expensive power plants]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[National Assembly Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif has rejected the PTI government&#39;s claim that the ongoing power crisis is caused by the policies of the last PML-N government and said the recent load-shedding is a glaring proof of the government&#39;s incompetence and mismanagement.

&ldquo;The PTI [government] falsely blames the PML-N for setting up too many power plants. This extensive load shedding today gives a lie to these baseless accusations.

&ldquo;And it is a fact that the PTI government is setting up more solar, wind and gas-fired plants, so the accusation of having more than necessary power plants is just false and laughable,&rdquo; Shehbaz said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Shehbaz, who is also the PML-N&rsquo;s president, said the PTI also &ldquo;lies&rdquo; when it says the plants set up by the PML-N were expensive. &ldquo;This government hasn&rsquo;t been able to produce one example of a power plant set up anywhere in the world that is cheaper [than those set up by the PML-N].&rdquo;

Read more:&nbsp;Shehbaz invites parties to talk on electoral reforms

He reiterated that the PML-N&rsquo;s last government saved over Rs200 billion while setting up three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-fired power plants and challenged the government to find one example of a more efficient or cheaper plant anywhere in the world.

&ldquo;The PTI lies when it says that the PML-N didn&rsquo;t set up enough transmission lines. That is simply not true. The PTI cannot name one power plant that cannot be fully evacuated due to transmission shortage. Not one plant.

&ldquo;In 2019, this incompetent government was able to transmit over 23,000MW and in 2020 in was able to transmit over 25,000MW using generation and transmission capabilities set up by the PML-N.&rdquo;

He said all the LNG terminals that the country has were set up by the PML-N.

&ldquo;The only transnational LNG pipeline was also installed by the PML-N and cheaper LNG was brought to the country through long term deals made by the PML-N,&rdquo; he added.

Also read:&nbsp;Power crisis eases as shortfall shrinks

He said the PTI has so far failed to buy a single LNG cargo on a long term contract and it is buying some of the most expensive LNG in the world on short term contracts.

&ldquo;Moreover due to its corruption and greed to use furnace oil and diesel, it refused to buy LNG on long term contracts at historically cheaper rates during the Covid crisis or convert our existing long term contracts to cheaper rates. Today, the PTI is paying three times the price for the same LNG.

&ldquo;For each short term cargo that we buy for $12 per mmbtu instead of $4 per mmbtu, we are paying $24m extra per cargo and for long term cargo that we failed to convert, we are paying $12m extra. This Pakistan today is paying $216m every month due to PTI&rsquo;s corruption and incompetence.&rdquo;

He said load shedding had ended in Pakistan after 5 years of consistent efforts and hard work by the PML-N &ldquo;under the visionary leadership of [former premier] Mian Nawaz Sharif&rdquo;.

&ldquo;Yet after three years of gross mismanagement and corruption, the PTI government has brought back debilitating power and gas load shedding to Pakistan.&rdquo;

&ldquo;This has to be the most glaring example of incompetence even by the PTI&rsquo;s own standards.&rdquo;

The PML-N leader pointed out that furnace oil is a fuel that the PTI government and federal ministers love to use as it produces electricity that is twice as expensive than the power produced through natural gas or LNG.

&ldquo;Yet even the furnace oil that the PTI is buying is the most expensive in the world. It is paying over Rs30,000 per ton more for imported furnace oil.

He reminded that the PML-N also set up coal-fired plants that today produce cheaper thermal energy in Pakistan. &ldquo;No power plant ever set up in Pakistan produces cheaper power than the coal-fired plant set up by the PML-N.&rdquo;

Shehbaz said the entire value chain of the power and petroleum supply has been mismanaged by the PTI government&rsquo;s &ldquo;corruption and incompetence&rdquo;. The resultant load shedding is causing untold misery to Pakistanis and losses of billions of rupees to businesses,&rdquo; he concluded.]]>
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			<title>NEPRA defers tariff  hike hearing</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2273444/nepra-defers-tariff-hike-hearing</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2273444/nepra-defers-tariff-hike-hearing#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 20 19:54:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2273444</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Delays price increase of Rs0.86 per unit requested by distribution firms]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Tuesday deferred hearing for a tariff increase of Rs0.86 per unit requested by ex-Wapda distribution companies following unsatisfactory response from power firms.

At the public hearing presided over by Nepra Chairman Tauseef H Farooqi, the regulator expressed dissatisfaction over the response of power companies to the tariff hike petition on account of variation in power purchase price (PPP) for the fourth quarter of 2019-20.

The total impact of the tariff increase is expected to be around Rs85 billion. At the hearing, the regulator demanded justification from various distribution companies for the tariff adjustment but the companies failed to satisfy it.

Nepra Vice Chairman Saifullah Chatta said since consumers had to bear the burden of tariff increase, justification was necessary for the hike in power price.

Nepra directed the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) to provide justification for the quarterly tariff adjustment. It put off the hearing for one week. Nepra chairman emphasised that chiefs and chief financial officers of all ex-Wapda distribution companies and the CPPA should ensure their presence in the next meeting.

For the capacity purchase price, the distribution companies had claimed Rs81.109 billion while for variable operation and maintenance, Rs567 million had been claimed.

On account of impact of transmission and distribution losses on the monthly fuel price adjustment, the distribution companies (except for Quetta Electric Supply Company) showed savings of Rs1,249 million.

For the capacity purchase price, Islamabad Electric Supply Company demanded Rs7,717 million, Lahore Electric Supply Company Rs16,300 million, Gujranwala Electric Power Company Rs8,415.31 million, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company Rs10,918 million and Multan Electric Power Company Rs1,556 million.

Similarly, Peshawar Electric Supply Company demanded Rs11,706 million, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company Rs4,206 million, Quetta Electric Supply Company Rs3,061 million, Sukkur Electric Power Company Rs2,860 million and Tribal Areas Electric Supply Company Rs370 million.

It is worth mentioning that in September 2020, Nepra allowed ex-Wapda distribution companies a tariff increase of Rs1.6236 per unit under quarterly adjustments for the second and third quarters of 2019-20. This is expected to enable the power firms to collect Rs164.870 billion from consumers in the next one year.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2020.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Centre once again blamed for load-shedding in Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2255902/centre-once-again-blamed-for-load-shedding-in-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2255902/centre-once-again-blamed-for-load-shedding-in-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 20 20:20:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2255902</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Centre once again blamed for load-shedding in Sindh]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Holding the federal government responsible for the continued load-shedding across Sindh, provincial energy minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh claimed that the Power Division did not take action on the matter because of the Centre&#39;s grudge against Sindh&#39;s people, who had not voted for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

He was addressing a press conference on Monday after meeting the heads of K-Electric, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) and Sukkur Electrical Power Company (Sepco).

According to Shaikh, Hesco and Sepco used to return 550 megawatts of electricity as a surplus, but areas being powered by them were now facing long hours of load-shedding each day. Meanwhile, he added, KE was carrying out announced load-shedding of seven to nine hours,
but had no limit for unannounced power cuts.

He claimed that Sindh reported the highest energy loss and electricity theft, but the Centre was uninterested in taking action to help Sindh&#39;s people. Furthermore, he added that illegal electricity connections could not remain in place without the connivance of Water and Power Development Authority, Hesco and Sepco officials.

The minister also called for the National Electrical Power Regulatory Authority chairperson and Federal Energy Minister Omar Ayub to visit Karachi and tell its people when the city&#39;s power woes would be resolved.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Lyari residents protest against KE, KWSB</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254584/lyari-residents-protest-against-ke-kwsb</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254584/lyari-residents-protest-against-ke-kwsb#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 20 19:39:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2254584</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Scores of people had gathered at the protest where they highlighted the callous attitude of the KWSB and KE officials]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[With patience running out at continued power outages and the unavailability of water, residents of Lyari and Machar Colony staged a demonstration against K-Electric (KE) and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) on the Mauripur and Mirza Adam Khan Roads on Sunday.


Blocking the roads and halting traffic, the protesters announced that they would be demonstrating outside the offices of KE and KWSB from today (Monday).

Scores of people, including women and children, had gathered at the protest where they highlighted the callous attitude of the KWSB and KE officials. They claimed that despite receiving the citizens&#39; complaints, the utility providers had done nothing to resolve their issues.

The protesters stated that they received electricity for only two to three hours each day, during which time they could not fill their water tanks and consequently did not even have enough water to perform ablution.

This, coupled with the heat and the lockdown confining them to their houses, meant that they had to face a multitude of inconveniences, added some of the women present.

The police later dispersed the protesters by assuring them that power would be restored in their neighbourhoods within a few hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Load-shedding and Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254557/load-shedding-and-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254557/load-shedding-and-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 20 16:42:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2254557</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The power infrastructure remains so vulnerable that it cannot even withstand a very small amount of rain]]>
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				<![CDATA[Karachi and power load-shedding seem inseparable. This link has been intact for the last forty years &mdash; yes, load-shedding in the metropolis is an early 80s phenomenon &mdash; and does not look like going away anytime soon. The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation became K-Electric over the years, but it turned out to be a mere change of name. There is hardly any change in its performance and efficiency. The power infrastructure remains so vulnerable that it cannot even withstand a very small amount of rain and a little bit more power load. The company that was only restricted to supplying power is now allowed to produce it too, but the shortfall persists. Despite all this the power bills continue to inflate.

The citizens of Karachi, thus, continue to suffer. For domestic consumers, it may only mean personal suffering in the form of restless days and insomniac nights. But for commercial and industrial consumers, it means loss of business &mdash; something that also results in fall in government revenues. If not for the sake of poor consumers, the federal government should have taken a proper action for the sake of its own revenues and fixed the issues long back. Prime Minister Imran Khan has, thankfully, swung into action. He has mobilised his best aides &mdash; Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Special Assistant Shahzad Qasim &mdash; to address the issue of loadshedding in Karachi and provide relief to its citizens who are simultaneously suffering from rising temperatures and the coronavirus lockdowns.

On Saturday, the trio met the K-Electric management as well as others including the representatives of Nepra, the business community and the citizens. The all-inclusive huddle ended with a piece of good news for Karachiites &mdash; that K-Electric will be supplied with additional amounts of power, gas and furnace oil, and load-shedding will, therefore, come to an end forthwith. While this announcement from Asad Umar is welcome, his government is also required to focus on other serious issues &mdash; such as the weak infrastructure and higher transmission and distribution losses &mdash; which hinder uninterrupted power supply to a city which is the economic engine of the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2020.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Power ministry insists load shedding in Karachi not Centre's fault</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254532/power-ministry-insists-load-shedding-in-karachi-not-centres-fault</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254532/power-ministry-insists-load-shedding-in-karachi-not-centres-fault#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 20 11:01:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zaigham.naqvi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category><category><![CDATA[Karachi]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cities]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2254532</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Denies K-Electric's claims of fuel shortage]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The power ministry has vehemently denied claims by K-Electric that loadshedding in Karachi is due to fuel shortage in the country.

In a statement issued on Sunday, a spokesperson of the ministry referred to the recent meeting of government officials and the power utility company at the Sindh Governor House, and stated that during the meeting it was decided that KE will now get a total of 290 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) - an additional 100 mmcfd from formerly 190 mmcfd.

Therefore, to link loadshedding with lack of fuel supply from the federal government would be the same as depriving citizens of Karachi from facts, claimed the spokesperson.

The power ministry has earlier refuted claims of fuel shortage by KE as well. However, the decision to provide excess fuel was announced yesterday.

According to the spokesperson, KE conceded during the meeting that despite availability of 800MW of power, KE&#39;s system is unable to carry more than 750MW. The spokesperson reiterated that KE has not upgraded its system.

The spokesperson claimed that the Centre has offered to supply 1,000MW of electricity to KE but for that the power utility would have to invest in its system and build the required 500KV grid.

Besides, the spokesperson added, work is ongoing to provide around 500MW of electricity to KE, this includes provision of additional 500 tonnes of furnace oil and upgrading of existing NTDC lines. According to the spokesperson, this work will take upto 10 months and summary is being prepared for the cabinet energy committee.

Briefing on the meeting yesterday, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar had announced that from Sunday (today) Karachi will not experience unannounced loadshedding.

The minister further said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) would fix responsibility for the prolonged power outages currently occurring in the metropolis, adding that increasing the supply of oil did not mean the petroleum ministry was responsible for the load-shedding.

According to Umar, the federal government had recently decided to give an additional 550 megawatts of power to the city by summer next year, followed by increases of 800MW each in the next two years. &ldquo;Karachi will be given a total of 2,150MW of additional energy by the summer of 2023,&rdquo; he added, claiming that power generation would be boosted by nearly 70 per cent.

He stated that they had told KE that the Centre wanted to help KE resolve the issues for Karachiites. &ldquo;However, if this is still not done, we will use the full force of the law to make sure the people are not deprived of electricity. The federal government can take over KE if it does not improve its services,&quot; he went on to warn, stating that the government was responsible for resolving people&rsquo;s grievances. &ldquo;Previous governments privatised KE, but Karachi has not been privatised.&rdquo;

&ldquo;The required quantity of oil and gas is not provided to the KE, which results in low production of electricity. The federal government also did not allow us to install the projects which were approved in 2016,&rdquo; KE CEO Moonis Alvi had stated on Friday.]]>
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			<title>‘No more unannounced power cuts in Karachi’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254419/no-more-unannounced-power-cuts-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254419/no-more-unannounced-power-cuts-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 20 13:16:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category><category><![CDATA[Karachi]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2254419</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[KE to get extra 550MW of energy by next summer, says Asad Umar]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[There will be no unscheduled electricity load-shedding in Karachi from tomorrow (Sunday), announced Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar on Saturday, claiming that the government had increased furnace oil and gas supply to K-Electric (KE) &ndash; the private power utility that supplies electricity to the provincial capital.

He said this while addressing a news conference alongside Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and KE CEO Moonis Abdullah Alvi, following a meeting between government officials and representatives of the power utility to discuss the city&rsquo;s power woes.

&quot;KE will be supplied 290 million cubic feet of gas. All units of the Bin Qasim Power Plant will be made operational and the majority of the city will get an uninterrupted power supply,&quot; he assured citizens. According to him, KE was previously receiving 190 million cubic feet of gas.

The minister further said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) would fix responsibility for the prolonged power outages currently occurring in the metropolis, adding that increasing the supply of oil did not mean the petroleum ministry was responsible for the load-shedding.

According to Umar, the federal government had recently decided to give an additional 550 megawatts of power to the city by summer next year, followed by increases of 800MW each in the next two years. &ldquo;Karachi will be given a total of 2,150MW of additional energy by the summer of 2023,&rdquo; he added, claiming that power generation would be boosted by nearly 70 per cent.

He stated that they had told Alvi that the Centre wanted to help KE resolve the issues for Karachiites. &ldquo;However, if this is still not done, we will use the full force of the law to make sure the people are not deprived of electricity. The federal government can take over KE if it does not improve its services,&quot; he went on to warn, stating that the government was responsible for resolving people&rsquo;s grievances. &ldquo;Previous governments privatised KE, but Karachi has not been privatised.&rdquo;

KE blames federal govt for Karachi outages

Umar added that Nepra would also make a decision about compensation for those who had been electrocuted to death in last year&rsquo;s monsoon rains.
A day earlier, the KE had held the federal government responsible for prolonged power outages in the metropolis, claiming that the government is not providing it required quantity of oil and gas.

&ldquo;The required quantity of oil and gas is not provided to the KE, which results in low production of electricity. The federal government also did not allow us to install the projects which were approved in 2016,&rdquo; Alvi had stated on Friday.

Rebuttal

Dismissing Umar&rsquo;s statement, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh said his words would make no difference to the load-shedding occurring in Karachi.

&ldquo;Federal ministers are making a failed attempt to save KE, but their statements will only surface for a few days,&rdquo; he said, adding that an increase of 100 million cubic feet of gas would do no good to the citizens because the power utility was already receiving 190 million cubic feet of gas.

Shaikh further claimed that power outages had increased because of a shortage of furnace oil at KE &ndash; resulting from the ban on the fuel&rsquo;s import by the Centre &ndash; and added that the masses had to bear the consequences of conflicts between institutions.

He pointed out that several localities in the city were witnessing up to 16 hours of load-shedding a day, while the supply of gas to CNG stations and industries was suspended in the attempt to increase provision to KE. This, he asserted, could deprive thousands of people of people of their jobs.

&ldquo;The federal ministers are heaping more financial trouble on the people instead of admitting their failure and incompetence,&rdquo; he argued, adding that the protest being held by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders outside the KE head office was in fact a protest against the policies of the federal government led by their own party.]]>
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			<title>Power cuts in Karachi to ‘end in two years’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254104/power-cuts-in-karachi-to-end-in-two-years</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254104/power-cuts-in-karachi-to-end-in-two-years#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 20 17:53:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Rizwan Shehzad  ]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2254104</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Energy minister blames previous govts for city’s electricity woes]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Federal Energy Minister Omar Ayub on Thursday said it would take the federal government two more years to find a permanent solution to the prolonged, unannounced power cuts in Karachi.

Speaking in the National Assembly, the minister blamed the governments of the PPP and PML-N for the power crisis in the country&rsquo;s financial hub. They [the PPP and PML-N governments] did not improve the generation capacity and distribution and transmission system in Karachi,&rdquo; he added.

Ayub said the opposition parties would see the PTI government&rsquo;s &ldquo;solid performance&rdquo;, to which the lawmakers on the other side of isle burst into laughter while the minister continued his speech.

Despite the laughter, the lawmakers were troubled by the minister&rsquo;s revelation that it would take two years to end power outages in Karachi.

They had drawn the minister&rsquo;s attention to K-Electric (KE) suspending electricity supply to the city&rsquo;s residents for up to 12 hours and the failure of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to take prompt action against the utility.

In response to the timeframe given by the minister, PPP&rsquo;s Shamim Ara Panhwar told him to resign and let her party sort out the issue in just six months.

The PPP lawmaker reminded the treasury members that KE and Nepra were under the federal government&rsquo;s control and Ayub could not shift the blame on previous governments.

She clarified the matter because Ayub had repeatedly said KE was confined to Karachi and PPP was in power in the province.

&ldquo;The PPP has left all these issues for us,&rdquo; Ayub said, adding tha the PTI government would deliver what PPP could not in 10 years.

On overcoming Karachi&rsquo;s electricity problem in six months, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar quipped that the PPP&rsquo;s claim was tantamount to saying that there never were power outages in the city before the PTI government.

Recalling an incident of power outage during former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto&rsquo;s era, Umar said there was no electricity in Karachi the entire night and he found out in the morning that there had been a coup and General Ziaul Haq had taken over.

&ldquo;There has been load shedding in Pakistan for 45 years,&rdquo; he added.

The planning and development minister said the opposition had termed the KE a &ldquo;criminal outfit&rdquo; and was creating an impression as if power utility had been privatised by the PTI government.

&ldquo;KE was privatised during the time of the PML-Q government and then the PPP and the PML-N each remained in power for five years,&rdquo; he added.

&ldquo;Why did the two parties allow such a &lsquo;corrupt outfit&rsquo; to operate and not take action during their tenures?&rdquo;

Revealing the reason behind the increase in power cuts in the metropolis, Umar said Karachi&rsquo;s electricity needs kept increasing over time but the previous governments did not take any step to either increase electricity production or to create a system to import it from somewhere.

He promised that the federal government would improve the situation in &ldquo;record time&rdquo;.

After the two ministers finished their speeches, PPP leader and former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf quipped that he had not completely understood the meaning of the phrase &ldquo;Sawal Gandum, Jawab Chana&rdquo; (a response irrelevant to a query mean to dodge the actual issue].

&ldquo;Their [PTI government] answer to every question is that the previous governments are to blame,&rdquo; Ashraf said, adding that the blame game could continue for four or six months after coming to power but not after two years.

&ldquo;If you will keep on repeating the PPP and the PML-N to every query, there&rsquo;s no point in asking any questions.&rdquo;

Referring to PTI lawmaker Aslam Khan, who allegedly used inappropriate words for PPP female lawmakers, Ashraf said sometimes the members of the ruling party felt so offended and angry that they forget how to respect women.

&ldquo;This is very wrong and has to stop,&rdquo; Ashraf said, &ldquo;we are not sitting in a bazaar.&rdquo;

Commenting on the JIT report of Uzair Baloch delivered to Shipping and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi by an unknown motorcyclist, the PPP leader said parliament should not be used for levelling allegations on the basis of shady documents obtained in this manner.

&ldquo;Someone can leave an envelope at our houses as well,&rdquo; he said while addressing the deputy speaker. &ldquo;Will you allow us to read the contents of such documents in the House?&rdquo; he added.

&ldquo;It seems that PTI lawmakers deliberately want to embarrass their prime minister. They were destroying the assembly&rsquo;s norms due to their inexperience and ignorance.&rdquo;

Ashraf criticised Umar for giving an examples that was decades old.

&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t have answers to any specific question,&rdquo; he said, reminded that the entire board of KE fell under the federal government&rsquo;s control.

&ldquo;Nepra and the energy ministry are also under the federal government and have no members from Sindh.&rdquo;

After a few more speeches, Federal Communications and Postal Services Minister Murad Saeed took the floor and started reading the confessional statement of Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch, compelling the opposition to stage a walkout from the House.

Reading out the statement, Saeed said Uzair had confessed to his involvement police encounters, kidnappings and attacks on police stations but no one was talking about the content of the report and the confessional statement.

When Saeed claimed that the extortion money collected by Uzair went to former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur, the PPP members started protesting. While leaving the assembly, PPP&rsquo;s Shazia Soomro threw a pair of headphones at Saeed but missed the target.

Before boycotting the session and walking out of the assembly, the PPP members pointed out the quorum, which was found to be incomplete on counting. The session was subsequently adjourned till Friday.]]>
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			<title>Power outages continue — and so do excuses</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253235/power-outages-continue-and-so-do-excuses</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253235/power-outages-continue-and-so-do-excuses#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 20 20:38:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2253235</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[With fuel shortage addressed, KE attributes load-shedding to KANUPP shortfall]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Despite the government taking measures to address K-Electric&#39;s (KE&#39;s) complaints of fuel shortage and increasing gas supply to it by 50mmcfd, the utility company continues to fail to meet Karachi&#39;s electricity demands as the city sizzles in hot weather.

The situation worsened on Friday night when almost half the port city plunged into darkness.

Earlier, KE had ascribed prolonged load-shedding in the city, peaking to 15 hours a day, to a shortage of furnace oil and gas. With that problem being addressed, the power utility now attributes long hours of power outages to a shortfall of merely 60 megawatts from the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant.

On the other hand, sources in KE, who asked not to be named, claimed that the utility is unable to ensure uninterrupted power supply as it continues to solely rely on cheap fuel for electricity generation. According to them, KE relies on subsidised electricity and grid stations for power generation and is so influential that neither the federal nor the provincial governments are able to hold it accountable. 

The areas worst hit by daily load-shedding include Korangi, Landhi, Malir, Surjani Town, Liaquatabad and Gulshan-e-Maymar, among others. While these localities experience 12 to 15 hours of load-shedding every day, neighbourhoods declared exempt from load-shedding are now witnessing hour-long power cuts after every four hours.

Moreover, the suspension of electricity supply to pumping stations has given rise to a water shortage in the city.

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and several MPAs held a meeting with KE representatives at the Governor House on Friday to address Karachi&#39;s worsening power crisis, with Federal Power Minister Omar Ayub joining them via video-link.

Addressing the meeting, Ismail said ensuring electricity supply to all areas of the metropolis was KE&#39;s responsibility and no negligence on its part would be tolerated. 

He pointed out the KE had earlier pledged to end excessive load-shedding in the city within 48 hours but failed to live up to its words.

Ayub, meanwhile, said that power supply from the national grid to KE had been increased from 650MW to 800MW, while gas supply was also boosted. The utility now needed to ensure that it met the city&#39;s electricity demand, he stressed.

MPAs in the meeting also criticised KE for burdening Karachi&#39;s residents with inflated bills, insisting that it did not deserve an increase in tariffs. They sought KE&#39;s financial records for the past 10 years and called for bringing it under the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Industrialists urge govt to end KE’s monopoly</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253181/industrialists-urge-govt-to-end-kes-monopoly</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253181/industrialists-urge-govt-to-end-kes-monopoly#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 20 19:11:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2253181</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Say move will promote competition and allow consumers to enjoy better services]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Keeping in view the prolonged hours of load-shedding endured by industries in Karachi, businessmen have urged the government to end the monopoly of K-Electric in 2023 when its contact is scheduled to be renewed.

They argued that such a move would promote a competitive environment and customers will be able to enjoy better services and choices.

In a statement on Friday, Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Siraj Kassam Teli criticised K-Electric over excessive load-shedding and its failure to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in Karachi.

He pointed out that the power supplier&rsquo;s agreement is set to expire in 2023 and suggested that the next agreement should be drafted in a manner which puts an end to the monopoly currently being enjoyed by the power utility company.

&ldquo;Under the existing agreement, K-Electric, since its privatisation, has been monopolising the entire power generation and distribution network of Karachi without any fear of competition,&rdquo; he highlighted. &ldquo;Now, it is high time that this monopoly end.&rdquo;

Meanwhile, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan said due to the poor performance of the company, almost all the localities of Karachi, including seven industrial zones, suffer unannounced power cuts every day for prolonged hours.

&ldquo;The unannounced and prolonged load-shedding by K-Electric is causing substantial losses and it will prove to be the last nail in the coffin for industries and the economy,&rdquo; he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2020.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Centre must end load-shedding,  says Dharejo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251223/centre-must-end-load-shedding-says-dharejo</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251223/centre-must-end-load-shedding-says-dharejo#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 20 08:38:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251223</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Dharejo further maintained that the continued load-shedding was adding insult to injury]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[All legitimate concerns of industrialists, including the load-shedding of electricity and gas, must be resolved immediately by the federal government, insisted Sindh Industries and Commerce minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo on Friday.

Taking notice of protests by industrialists against the constant power outages across Sindh, the minister claimed the Sindh government stood shoulder to shoulder with them.

Terming the protests against load-shedding the democratic right of industrialists, Dharejo held firm that Prime Minister Imran Khan should take notice of this grave situation. He demanded that the Centre address the concerns of the industrialists so that they may focus on their businesses, which would in turn help create jobs for the people of Sindh.

Dharejo further maintained that the continued load-shedding was adding insult to injury given the difficulties already being faced by businessmen due to coronavirus.

"In such a difficult situation, if relief is not provided to the industrialists, things may become more serious," he claimed, adding that though the provincial government was taking their issues very seriously, they could only be dealt with at the federal level.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Centre to provide additional 500MW to KE, denies fuel shortage claim</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251015/centre-provide-additional-500mw-ke</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251015/centre-provide-additional-500mw-ke#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 20 19:57:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zafar.bhutta]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251015</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Federal govt dismisses company’s furnace oil shortage claim, attributes outages to its system constraints]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The federal government announced on Friday that it was ready to provide 500MW additional electricity to K-Electric (KE) from the national grid to end prolonged power cuts in Karachi.

However, it dismissed KE’s claim that there was a shortage of furnace oil in the market and attributed the power outages in the city to the power company’s system constraints.

The federal cabinet has already approved the provision of additional 1,100MW from the national grid to KE, but its system is not able to absorb the extra electricity at present and its upgrading will carry on until 2022-23 for that to happen, the energy ministry said in a statement.

“KE has wrongly attributed the power outages to the unavailability of fuel. The federal government is providing 800MW electricity to KE and is ready to provide additional 500MW from national grid,” the statement read. “But the KE’s system physical constraints are a major hurdle in taking the additional electricity. It clearly indicates that system upgradation on part of KE has not taken place at the appropriate level and with appropriate investment,” it added.

“It is unfortunate to note that KE did not make investment in the system upgradation and modernisation due to which it is facing difficulty at the time of peak demand.”

The ministry said the federal government had “gone out of it is way” to provide support to KE and the people of Karachi. “The federal government is ready to extend all available support for the provision of uninterrupted power supply to the residents of Karachi.”

The supply of LNG is available but on account of Article 158, only a limited quantity of LNG is being taken by KE. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is providing a total of 250-290 mmcfd of gas including 75-100 mmcfd of LNG.

The petroleum division has made arrangements for the supply of 80% of the country’s domestic residual fuel oil (RFO) production to KE to run its power plants. In addition, the federal government has also made arrangements for the supply of 30,000 tons of RFO from the storage of other power plant to immediately fulfill the requirements of KE.

“The federal cabinet also allowed for the Pakistan State Oil to float a Gallop International Tender to purchase RFO for KE. The tender has already been published,” the statement read.

The federal cabinet also approved the provision and allocation of 150 mmcfd of LNG for the new power plants of KE, the construction of which will be completed by the power company next year.

Separately, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has directed all power distribution companies (Discos) to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers.

The regulatory authority said it had taken serious notice of various media reports about unscheduled power outages lasting up to 12 hours a day by all Discos because of which the public was suffering in the current spell of heat wave, especially in the areas where a ‘smart lockdown’ had been enforced to stem the spread of Covid-19.

The power regulatory said Discos were obligated to provide uninterrupted and reliable power supply to the consumers under the relevant provisions of their licenses. Therefore, all Dicos have been strictly directed to take immediate remedial measures to minimise the load shedding and also submit a report in this regard to the authority immediately, it added.

A day earlier, KE maintained that the shortage of furnace oil had resulted in a shortfall in electricity production.

Owing to an increased demand of electricity in the city, systems have been badly affected, it added.

Technical faults including tripping of electricity feeders have become regular occurrences.

“With the onset of extreme hot and humid weather in Karachi, our peak demand has crossed 3450MW. Furnace oil is not available in the market to the level required resulting in up to 800 mt shortfalls daily. This has been in the news and the government is taking action by allowing imports,” the power company said in a statement.

"Also, a reduction of 50 mmcfd in regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) by the Sui Southern Gas Company has further added to the challenge."

It added that power from the wind corridor had also been affected, resulting in the reduction of KE's power supply from 3,150MW to 2,800MW.

“The government had decided to import furnace oil and the situation is likely to normalise in the coming days.”

Unconvinced by KE’s reasons, disgruntled citizens staged demonstrations in various areas against hours long load shedding and water shortage on Wednesday.

Residents staged a sit-in near Ghareebabad Chowrangi, blocked the road and chanted slogans against KE and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB).

They accused the companies of deliberately suspending power supply to rile up citizens and use it as an excuse to get further fuel concessions from the government.

The power utility said "violent mobs" had caused damage to KE's grid station and offices.

"This endangers our teams and makes our job more difficult. We are working 24/7 to supply maximum power despite ongoing fuel shortage. Please bear with us at this challenging time."]]>
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			<title>Centre denies fuel shortage, points to faults in KE's system as citizens swelter</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250865/centre-denies-fuel-shortage-points-faults-kes-system-citizens-swelter</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250865/centre-denies-fuel-shortage-points-faults-kes-system-citizens-swelter#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 20 16:09:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2250865</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Energy ministry claims power utility failing to meet demand due to failure in system up-gradation]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The federal energy ministry denied K-Electric's claims of fuel shortage, insisting instead that the power utility company has failed to enhance its system.

The Centre is currently providing 800MW of electricity to the power utility company, and has the capacity to provide additional 500MW from the national grid, but the KE system's physical constraints prevent it from taking the additional electricity, claimed a ministry spokesperson in a statement issued on Friday.

Besides, the federal cabinet has already approved the provision of additional 1,100MW from the national grid to KE, adds the statement.

"However the KE system is not able to absorb the additional electricity at present and its system up-gradation will go on until 2022-23 to fully take the additional supply."

Citizens in the metropolis have been subjected to 10-12 hours of loadshedding daily amid Karachi's sweltering heat.

Protests broke out yesterday (Thursday), with calls for more today, as angered citizens lashed out against KE for failing to provide relief despite sizzling heat and the pandemic.

Angered citizens resorted to vandalism and attacks on KE infrastructure and offices.

Meanwhile, the power utility company cited the shortage of furnace oil and gas, as reasons for unabated prolonged loadshedding, claiming that the situation would normalise soon given the government’s decision to import the fuel.

https://twitter.com/KElectricPk/status/1276029286395371520

However, the federal energy ministry claims, "the system up-gradation on part of KE has not taken place at the appropriate level and with appropriate investment".

Moreover, said the spokesperson, the supply of LNG is available, but on account of Article 158 of the Constitution of Pakistan, only a limited quantity of LNG is being taken by KE.

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is providing a total of 250-290 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of LNG, reads the statement.

Article 158 reads: "The Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from the well-head, subject to the commitments and obligations as on the commencing day." Gas distribution has previously been a point of contention between the provinces and Centre.

According to the statement, the petroleum division has made  arrangements for supply of 80 per cent of domestic residual fuel oil (RFO) production to KE to run its power plants.

Besides, it adds, the Centre has also made arrangements for supply of 30,000 tonnes of RFO from storage of other power plant to immediately fulfill the requirements of KE.

The federal cabinet has also allowed the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to float a Gallop International Tender to purchase RFO for KE, said the spokesperson, adding that this tender has already been published.

Besides, the provision and allocation of 150mmcfd of LNG has been approved by the cabinet for new KE power plants, the construction of which is expected to be complete by 2021, read the statement.

According to the energy ministry's spokesperson, the Centre has "gone out of its way to provide support to KE and the people of Karachi besides running industries and businesses".

The spokesperson lamented that the power utility company did not invest in the up-gradation or modernisation of its system, due to which it is facing hurdles at the time of peak demand.

The federal government's support for the provision of uninterrupted power supply to residents of the metropolis was reiterated.]]>
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			<title>Citizens blow a fuse over power outages</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250445/citizens-blow-fuse-power-outages</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250445/citizens-blow-fuse-power-outages#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 20 08:54:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[naeem.khanzada]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2250445</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mob attacks KE grid station, vandalises its office; citizens warn of more protests]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[An irate mob, angered by long hours of electricity suspension amid Karachi’s sizzling heat, attacked a K-Electric (KE) grid station in SITE Area on Thursday. Shouting slogans against the power utility, vexed protesters even broke into and vandalised KE’s office in the area.

The situation was not much different elsewhere in the city, where citizens lambasted KE for failing to provide relief despite the hot weather and a pandemic.

Demanding immediate resolution for their grievances, they warned of more demonstrations on Friday.

The call for protest has raised the possibility of worsening law and order situation in the city, with the public anger simmering in the midst of soaring temperatures.

The recent hot spell in the city, with mercury hitting 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday, means the demand for electricity has grown simultaneously. However, apparently unable to meet the surging demand, KE machinery has collapsed under the increasing pressure.

Consequently, various neighbourhoods across the country’s financial capital, including Korangi, Landhi, Surjani Town, North Karachi, Malir, Saudabad, Keamari, Mehmoodabad and Baldia Town, are being subjected to 10 to 12 hours of load shedding. Even areas that were earlier declared to have been exempted from loadshedding are also experiencing prolonged power outages.

The suspension of power to pumping stations has also given rise to a water shortage in the city, much to the citizens’ ire.

Many disgruntled residents of the metropolis have also pointed out that students, most of whom have been taking classes online, are forced to step out with no electricity at home, even at the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, KE, facing heavy criticism for paying no heed to the citizens’ plight, has attributed the prolonged loadshedding to the shortage of furnace oil and gas, claiming that the situation would normalise soon given the government’s decision to import the fuel.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>NEPRA to investigate  load-shedding in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2249067/nepra-investigate-load-shedding-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2249067/nepra-investigate-load-shedding-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 20 09:18:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2249067</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Regulator decides to defer decision on increase in power tariff]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Tuesday said it would initiate an investigation into forced load-shedding in Karachi.

During a public hearing, Nepra Chairman Tauseef Farooqi said an investigation would be conducted into unannounced load-shedding by K-Electric in the city of Karachi. Reasons for load-shedding would be brought before the public, he said.

There have been protests by people over the prolonged power outages in the city. Protesters claimed that they were facing 12-hour load-shedding and demanded action to stop power outages.

A K-Electric spokesperson said the utility was facing continued challenges on account of inconsistent supply of furnace oil, as compared to its demand, and had been highlighting the challenge so that it could be urgently resolved by relevant authorities. “This fuel shortfall is compromising generation capability at K-Electric’s power plants.”

Explaining the situation, the spokesperson said, “K-Electric’s daily furnace oil requirement is close to 2,800 metric tons these days, while at present we are receiving around 2,000 metric tons per day. Currently, there are pending orders of close to 14,000 metric tons of furnace oil. These are compromising both our own ability to run generation plants and our independent power producers’ (IPPs) ability to supply power to us.”

He said the power utility was taking measures to ensure long-term improvement in its generation fleet’s efficiency and reliability. “Most important among them is the decommissioning of older generation units and the development of Bin Qasim Power Station-III, a state-of-the-art 900MW RLNG plant that is expected to come on stream ahead of summer 2021.”

He said this power plant was critical to ensure that Karachi’s growing demand was met. “In the short term, considering that power demand will remain at these levels for the next three months and in light of constrained supplies from refineries, it is critical that furnace oil supplies are improved through imports.”

Power tariff

The power sector regulator decided to defer decision on increase in electricity tariff.

Nepra said the cabinet had decided not to increase power tariff till June 30 and following this, the regulator also deferred decision on tariff revision for power distribution companies. The Nepra chairman said K-Electric would also face the same treatment like other power distribution companies.

K-Electric had sought a tariff increase of Rs0.297 per unit, which would have an impact of Rs1.38 billion for January-April 2020. K-Electric requested to complete the hearing of its petition and decision could be taken later. The regulator deferred its decision due to policy of the government not to increase prices of electricity till June 30. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2020.

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				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/2249067-poweroutageblackoutpowerloadsheddingloadsheddingKarachiAFP-1592972248/2249067-poweroutageblackoutpowerloadsheddingloadsheddingKarachiAFP-1592972248.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
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			<title>Peshawar’s old city area hit by power cuts</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1914178/peshawars-old-city-area-hit-power-cuts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1914178/peshawars-old-city-area-hit-power-cuts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 19 04:06:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1914178</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Besides localities in the old city area were even deprived of piped water supply since over a month]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[People in the provincial capital have expressed resentment over unannounced and prolonged power cuts from dawn till dusk.

Besides localities in the old city area were even deprived of piped water supply since over a month.

Peshawar Electric Supply Corporation (Pesco) has asked the irate residents on Tuesday to bear the prolonged loadshedding as the upgrading of wires and system was underway and would take a month.

Pesco had started power cuts from 8am till 5pm every day for the last many weeks and most of the areas in the Walled City, like Gulbhar, Hussain Abad, Afridi Ghari, Ishrat Cinema Road were worst affected.

The businesses of these areas have switched to alternative sources of energy, while few have threatened that they would cut the electricity from their business as they have switched to power generators.

The resident told Daily Express that even on Saturday and Sunday the ritual of power outage continued which caused water shortage in the houses and mosques.

Pesco officials said that the company was revamping the wires and also upgrading the system in the provincial capital, so the situation may continue to prevailed for more a month.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20th, 2019.]]>
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			<title>No gas load shedding being carried out, NA told</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1864740/no-gas-load-shedding-carried-na-told</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1864740/no-gas-load-shedding-carried-na-told#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Dec 18 03:38:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[DNA]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1864740</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Interior minister says NACTA to be more vibrant by early 2019]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The National Assembly was informed on Tuesday that no gas load shedding is being carried out in any part of the country.

Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Agha Hassan Baloch, Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan admitted there is issue of low gas pressure in different cities.

He said Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited is executing two projects of replacing the old pipelines with new ones at a cost of 2.28 billion rupees.

The petroleum minister said installation of new pipelines and new compressors will help address the issue of low gas pressure and added gas distribution companies have also been directed to check their losses and gas theft.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi told the House a plan will be unveiled in March next year to make National Counter Terrorism Authority [NACTA] more meaningful and vibrant. He said national security is the focus of the government.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said all the stakeholders including the political parties should sit together to formulate a charter of economy.

No gas load-shedding during winter, ECC decides

Responding to the points raised by Ajmal Khan on the problems faced by farmers, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary said the government is giving priority to the uplift of agriculture sector as this sector is also being made part of multi billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

On the protest of teachers of basic education community schools at D Chowk in Islamabad, Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood assured their salaries will soon be paid after approval of over three billion rupees by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for this purpose.

A number of bills were laid before the House on Tuesday including The Constitution (Amendment) bill, 2018 (Articles 25 B, 51, 63 B, 92 and 106), Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2018, The Election (Amendment) Bill, 2018, The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, (Article 106).]]>
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			<title>SHC adjourns contempt hearing against K-E</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1790144/shc-adjourns-contempt-hearing-k-e</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1790144/shc-adjourns-contempt-hearing-k-e#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 29 Aug 18 03:43:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1790144</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Court issues notices to home dept, police, Rangers in missing person case]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Sindh High Court (SHC) adjourned the hearing in a contempt of court case against K-Electric relating to load-shedding till September 18 due to prior engagements of the power utility's lawyer.

Addressing a two-member bench, Barrister Saad Siddiqui argued that the Supreme Court has already taken suo motu notice on the load-shedding issue and the matter is pending before the apex court. This case is different to the SC's case, the barrister said.

Load-shedding, hot weather disrupts routine life

The petitioner, Karamat Ali, said that the K-E and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) authorities were not acting in accordance with the court's orders. It stated that many citizens had lost their lives from the heatwave coupled with load-shedding.

The court had ordered Nepra to take action against K-E. However, unannounced load-shedding continues to persist in the city, which was a contempt of court orders.

Missing person

The SHC issued notices to the home department, police, Rangers and others regarding the disappearance of a man, Umar.

A two-member bench heard the petition filed by Umar's two wives Masmaatul Shamsul Nisa and Rehana.

Their lawyer, Advocate Abdul Waheed, argued that Umar was kidnapped from his house by law enforcers on July 13 and institutions were not giving any information to the wives on the whereabouts of their husband. Law enforcement agency officials also detained the women and 10 children for 19 days, the lawyer argued.

During custody, they were able to meet their husband, who appeared to have been tortured.

The petitioners stated if there was is any allegation against Umar, it should be presented before the court.

After hearing the arguments, the bench summoned replies from the home department, police, Rangers and security agencies.

CJP orders special cell for recovery of missing persons

Vote recount

Meanwhile, the SHC rejected an appeal to recount the votes in PS-128. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, heard a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Nusrat Anwar requesting for a recount in PS-128 against the victory of Muttahida Quami Movement - Pakistan's Muhammad Abbas Jaffri's victory.

The petitioner's lawyer argued that there was a margin of 1,709 votes. The Form-45 wasn't available at many of the constituency's polling stations, he said.

However, Justice Mazhar remarked that the high court and returning officers held no authority after the victory notification of a candidate is issued.

The court directed the petitioner to contact the election tribunal for a complaint relating to the winning candidate.]]>
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				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/1790144-SindhHighCourtphotoexpress-1535514091/1790144-SindhHighCourtphotoexpress-1535514091.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
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			<title>Lahore High Court: Petition challenges load shedding </title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1755561/lahore-high-court-petition-challenges-load-shedding</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1755561/lahore-high-court-petition-challenges-load-shedding#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jul 18 05:58:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1755561</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A writ petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the unannounced load shedding]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A writ petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the unannounced load shedding which has not only disrupted business activities but has also made citizen’s lives miserable. A non-government organisation (NGO) filed the petition contending that the court had directed all distributor companies responsible for load shedding to follow a schedule. However, this was in vain as the companies were not following orders. The NGO’s counsel implored stated that load shedding was still taking place despite the tall claims made by the government and the instructions issued by the court. Further, the duration of load shedding has also increased which is not only disrupting people’s businesses but is also causing citizens unnecessary misery. The petition pleaded that directives be issued to stop unannounced load shedding, while strict action be taken against those who are violating the court’s orders.  

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2018.]]>
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				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/1755561-poweroutageblackoutpowerloadsheddingloadsheddingKarachiAFP-1531374936/1755561-poweroutageblackoutpowerloadsheddingloadsheddingKarachiAFP-1531374936.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
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			<title>CM Marri directs QESCO to reduce load-shedding hours</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1749071/cm-marri-directs-qesco-reduce-load-shedding-hours</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1749071/cm-marri-directs-qesco-reduce-load-shedding-hours#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 18 04:31:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1749071</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Issues directions for ensuring at least eight hours of power supply to farmers]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Taking cognisance of the farmers’ plight, caretaker Balochistan Chief Minister Alauddin Marri has directed the officials of Quetta Electric Supply Company to reduce the load-shedding hours across the province and ordered strict action against the illicit tube wells.

“Whatever the odds, Qesco should supply at least eight-hour electricity to the farmers as hundreds and thousands of people in Balochistan are attached with the agriculture sector,” said the caretaker CM while chairing a meeting the farmers.

CM Marri says reforms vital for ending financial crisis

Representatives of Zameendar Action Committee in Mastung, agriculture secretary, Mastung deputy commissioner and Qesco officials were in attendance.

Marri directed the Qesco officials to reduce the time of load-shedding across Balochistan, including the Mastung district, and ordered strict action against illicit tube wells.

He announced that the Balochistan government would approach the federal government for the province’s due electricity share and also asked the farmers to clear their electricity dues to address Qesco’s financial woes.

CM Marri says no sympathy with any political party

“Our province has been hit by drought for the past many years and water level is rapidly decreasing, which could create a severe water shortage,” Marri said, urging farmers not to waste water while cultivating corps.

The farmers apprised the caretaker chief minister about problems they were facing due to electricity shortage and said, “Despite paying dues to the Qesco, we are deprived of receiving electricity for eight hours in Mastung.”

“Due to fluctuation in electricity voltage majority of the tube wells are non-functional and our only source of income – agriculture – has been completely destroyed,” the farmers added.]]>
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