‘Karachi not to receive power from Turkish ship’

Minister says Turkish plant is meant for Karachi but KESC denies the claim.

KARACHI: A controversy has erupted as to who would be receiving electricity from the Turkish ship-borne power plant, with Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf announcing it is meant for Karachi but the city’s power utility denying the claim outright.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the power ship, Kaya Bey, on Sunday in Karachi, the minister said 220 megawatts of electricity to be had from the power plant will be supplied to the city’s industrial, commercial and residential consumers.

But in an instant rebuttal of the claim, a spokesperson for the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) asserted that there would be no additional power coming from this plant to Karachi consumers.

Elaborating, the spokesperson said that the KESC, under a five-year power purchase agreement signed with NTDC/Pepco earlier this year, will continue to receive up to 650 MW of power during the term of this agreement.

The arrival of Turkish power ship (however) will not add any incremental electricity units to KESC network. “This new project has been managed and imported by the government for the state-run Pepco and its distribution companies which will run the plant and utilise its electricity,” said the KESC spokesperson.

“Therefore, there will be no additional power coming from this plant to Karachi consumers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2010.