Ministry hits out at naysayers of power sector turnaround

The water and power ministry has dispelled suggestions that its announcement of bringing about a turnaround in the power sector was ‘politically influenced’.

The ministry, in an official statement, expressed deep concern at a report released by Germany’s state-owned KFW bank which questioned its role in power sector gains. “There is a turnaround in all spheres of power sector and we hope to sustain these achievements in future as well,” the ministry’s statement said. It added that “while none of the figures reported by the ministry have been refuted in the [KFW] report, an attempt has been made to taint the ministry’s performance with conjectures and twisted analysis.”



The ministry said that if the writers of the report conducted a professional probe, they would have uncovered data which showed that the Muzaffargarh plant – which was rehabilitated in 2013 with technically improved efficiency – could not achieve its financial benefits till 2015, when administrative controls and monitoring improved its profitability. “They would have come to know of the digitized fuel receipt and inventory system installed at Muzaffargarh which has reduced the chances of the pilferage of oil,” the statement said.

It added that the claim that the increase in Muzaffargarh figures largely came due to inclusion of Nandipur plant is also incorrect. “Data proves that Muzaffargarh plant generated 4.311 GWh in 2014-15 and 4.645 GWh in 2015-16. The generation at Muzaffargarh in 2014-15 consumed 1,285,556 metric tons of oil and would have required 1,384,210 metric tons of oil for the increased generation in 2015-16 had fuel consumption efficiencies not been improved and pilferages not been checked.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2017.