Power generation ‘to hit 24,000MW by March 2018’

Abid Sher Ali alleges some notables in K-P involved in power theft

PESHAWAR: State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali on Thursday claimed that the country’s power generation would reach 24,000 megawatts by March 2018.

Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) head-office in Peshawar, he said 500 megawatts of electricity would be added to the system on a monthly basis, and by July the country’s power generation would touch 20,000 megawatts.

“Last year, our generation was 17,500 megawatts and by March 2018, as per the vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, our total generation would reach 24,000 megawatts,” he claimed.

Ali, however, said that only the PESCO consumers paying their bills regularly would get uninterrupted power supply.

 “We are working to increase the capacity of PESCO’s transmission system so that it can handle the load when we get enough electricity,” he said, adding that Rs5.5 billion had been spent on the PESCO’s capacity building, with existing transmission lines improved and 100 km-long new lines installed.

The state minister revealed government plans to build four 220-kilowatts grid stations -- one each in Nowshera, Mansehra, Dera Ismail Khan and Chakdra. He said construction work on three of the grid stations had started while in case of Nowshera, the government had been facing land acquisition problems for three years.

“On completion, the four grid stations would help maintain and stabilise the voltage,” he said, adding that the federal government would not be responsible for voltage problems if the Nowshera grid station remained in a limbo due to K-P government’s lack of interest.

Ali claimed that PESCO is the only distribution company in the country in which 415 feeders are completely exempt from load-shedding in line with an agreement between K-P CM Pervez Khattak and Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif.



He said under the agreement, PESCO would only conduct load-shedding on feeders with more line losses and power thefts while feeders with minimum losses would be free of load-shedding.

He alleged that some notables in K-P were involved in power theft and non-payment. He accused Charsadda Nazim Fahad Riaz of stealing power through a direct cable. He claimed that the nazim belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had not even installed an electricity meter at his house.

“We have written to the DC Charsadda regarding the matter. We have also prepared a list of notables who have unpaid bills and will register FIRs against them,” said the minster.