Editorial

An elusive goal

There has been a reduction overall in the time when the darkness is on, but there is yet another long hot summer ahead

Editorial December 28, 2016

Chashma-III project will provide clean and affordable energy to the people besides contributing to agricultural, industrial, commercial and socio-economic development. PHOTO: FILE

Were all the promises to end power cuts (loadshedding) in Pakistan compiled together they would make a weighty tome — and every one of them thus far unfulfilled. Some may remember when Pakistan had watts in the wires day and night. There was the occasional power outage but nothing to trouble us all too much. Pakistan had — and still has — excess power generating capacity. Today there are long stretches when the darkness is switched on particularly in the summer months, circular debt is an eternal albatross and promises to end power outages somewhat less frequent than of yore.

Now there is another promise to switch off the darkness, this time coming from PM Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday 28^th December as he inaugurated power production at the 340-megawatt Chashma III nuclear power plant near Mianwali. The shut-off for the darkness, according to the PM, is 2018 which is coincidentally the year of the next General Election.

Pakistan is power hungry. There has been a reduction overall in the time when the darkness is on, but there is yet another long hot summer ahead. A basket of generating sources is ‘in process’ with the country’s largest solar power unit now on stream but output is minuscule. China is collaborating with Pakistan in the development of nuclear power generators and the K-II and K-III plants in Karachi will add 8,000MW to the national grid by 2030. The Diamer-Bhasha dam is not going to be operational before 2020. As of December 2015 Pakistan has 22 wind-power projects operating or in development. Wind power has enormous potential especially along the Makran corridor — but Pakistan came late to the game. The uncomfortable fact of the matter for those making promises to end power cuts by this-that-or-the-other date are hamstrung by inefficiency, corruption, shortsightedness and interprovincial turf wars that so often render their doubtless well-meant promises empty. We would like to believe that power outages will end in 2018, but we are not holding our breath.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2016.

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