As Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attempts to cool off searing criticisms prompted on Tuesday by unannounced power outages, little suggests his bromides would stand the fresh heatwave threatening to seize the country in coming days.
With forecasters warning of record temperatures in a heatwave expected to last till May 2, the country’s already strained power system seems ill-prepared to keep the nation’s lights on – a kitchen table issue the prime minister seeks to solve immediately.
This has left the prime minister declaring the crisis as a 'lingering artefact' of the previous government. But the observes say the assurances and finger-pointed lack the teeth to deal with the burgeoning issue.
The power outages continued into their third day on Tuesday with most parts of the country experiencing load-shedding for several hours due to the shortfall that was hovering around 8,000 megawatts.
However, there was a change in the pattern: people were left caught off guard when the overloaded system gave in and added a few more hours to the ordeal.
The forced load-shedding for another couple of hours was also being observed in various areas falling within service jurisdiction of as many as 1,000 high loss feeders.
Another factor that has put the authorities concerned in the dock was low fuel stocks and cash constraints, in addition to hoarding of diesel ahead of an anticipated price hike.
Read: Power cuts return as shortfall tops 7,000MW
The grim situation on the fuel front forced the regulator and the government to issue a stern warning to those resorting to diesel hoarding.
According to the sources in the Power Division, the gap between supply and demand was 7,969 megawatts. At present, the peak generation stands at 18,031 megawatts while even constrained demand goes beyond 26,000 megawatts.
The sources said the non-availability of fuel has been taking a heavy toll on power generation, adding efforts were afoot to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) and furnace oil to power plants on a war footing.
The current demand-supply gap, however, is likely to remain unchanged until May 8 and will then start improving as furnace oil and LNG cargoes become available and hydropower supply improves.
In a statement, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) said, taking cognizance of the reports of non-availability of diesel, it moved enforcement teams along law-enforcement agencies and district management in different regions to inspect and unearth illegal oil storage.
“Anyone found hoarding or stocking oil illegally will be dealt with under the law of the land,” the authority warned.
The authority added chief secretaries had already been informed to advise deputy commissioners for increasing vigilance on any such illegal activities and take immediate punitive actions.
“Moreover, DCs have also been informed to mobilize teams to inspect petrol pumps in their respective regions and anyone found in hoarding or short supply may strongly be dealt according to law and report should be sent to OGRA,” it added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to devise a policy to address the shortage of electricity.
Read More: Govt may increase fuel prices partially
He was informed that the government had operationalised 20 out of 27 major power producers, which were shut down for a year.
The prime minister said the step was an ‘Eid gift’ for the public who had been suffering frequent power outages in summers.
The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to resolve all the issues pertaining to load-shedding by April 30 so as to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted power supply to consumers.
He stressed establishing an integrated and sustainable fuel system to meet the requirements of power generation and also a plan keeping in view the hot season in particular.
PM Shehbaz called for a long-term effective plan to eliminate the loss of feeders of the power distribution companies.
He took notice of the complaints of artificial shortage of diesel during harvesting and directed the relevant authorities to identify the perpetrators and ensure strict action.
The prime minister emphasized an uninterrupted supply of diesel to farmers to run agricultural machinery and urged the district administration in rural areas to facilitate the farmers.
The meeting was briefed that the re-operationalization of the 20 power plants had increased power generation.
It was pointed out that the previous government did not purchase fuel for power plants in four years which led to load-shedding.
However, the government of PM Shehbaz within two weeks managed the availability of fuel besides increasing the capacity of electricity generation.
It was informed that the total power generation in the country was about 18,500 megawatts while the shortfall was between 500 to 2,000 megawatts.
The prime minister was also briefed in detail about the loss-making feeders of the distribution companies.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and relevant senior officials.
PM Shahbaz Sharif, soon after assuming his office, had ordered to operationalise power plants in the country that were shut down due to lack of fuel or other technical glitches.
He had also ordered to address other causes of load-shedding including negligence in timely repair and lack of maintenance of power plants.
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