Power crisis: Hourly rolling blackouts

Only 300MW electricity being generated by stations that are meant to generate 1000MW: KESC

KARACHI: The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) is still facing a shortage of gas and furnace oil. Residents took to the streets in protest against the hourly power cuts.

KESC said they are only generating 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity from all major stations that are meant to generate 1,000 MW. The Korangi and Site gas turbines are only generating 100 MW instead of 170 MW.

The Korangi power plant has been shut down because of a shortage of gas, said a KESC spokesperson. Pakistan State Oil claims that they are providing KESC furnace oil as usual and the Sui Southern Gas Company says the gas supply will be back to normal by tomorrow and KESC will receive 180 to 200 million cubic feet of gas from Wednesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2011.