Gap between power demand and supply to hit 6,000MW

LAHORE: The gap between power demand and supply is about to hit 6,000 megawatts as temperatures soar further in the region. As a result, unscheduled outages remain the order of the day in various parts.

Pakistan Metrological Department’s data showed record high temperatures in various districts of Punjab, including Noorpur Thal, Bhakkar 52°C; Dera Ismail Khan, Sibbi 51°C; Sargodha, Risalpur 50°C, while Mianwali and Dera Ghazi Khan recorded 49°C.

Past data showed that a highest temperature of 50°C was recorded in Dera Ismail Khan on June 20, 1986, but Sunday’s 51°C temperature had broken previous records.

The Metrological department warned that hot weather conditions were expected to persist over the plain areas of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Upper Sindh, while dust-thunderstorm/ rain with gusty winds are expected in isolated places of Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, FATA, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.



Unscheduled load-shedding and frequent outages in these harsh weather conditions have made civic life impossible. Locals from different areas of the provincial metropolis are complaining that the government has failed to provide any relief.

The hours of scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding are on the rise, despite the government’s claim of minimal outages during Sehri and Iftar hours.

“People are cursing the government for its inefficiency,” highlighted Sarfraz Ali, a local. He also slammed the administration for failing to control the artificial price hike during Ramazan. “This just adds to the frustration of having to suffer through long hours of load-shedding in the scorching heat.”

Mustafa Town resident Muhammad Ashraf complained there was no electricity in his neighbourhood for the last five hours, but LESCO officials were not paying attention to citizens’ problems. He said all the rulers’ promises were false and deceptive.

On Sunday, the Federal Ministry of Water and Power had suspended six officers of electricity distribution companies, besides initiating disciplinary proceedings, for not following the load management plan. The ministry, through this action, accepted unscheduled load-shedding was being carried out in various parts of the country.

The ministry said longer than announced durations of load-shedding were conducted by LESCO, GEPCO, FESCO, IESCO and MEPCO. “The ministry is committed to providing maximum relief to consumers at all levels,” a spokesman said. He pointed out special vigilance teams had been formed on the PEPCO level to conduct surprise visits to different areas to ensure enforcement of the announced power load management plan.

The spokesman added these teams visited different power distribution companies and found unnecessary and unscheduled load shedding against various feeders. Based on the report of monitoring teams, the ministry ordered strict action against officers involved in unscheduled load-shedding.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2017.