Sindh govt ready to run gas utility

Provincial energy minister says line losses high due to distance from national grid

KARACHI:

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh on Wednesday said that the provincial government was ready to run the gas utility itself as the line losses were high due to distance from the national grid.

Addressing a press conference, he said that there was an acute shortage of gas in the province and the provincial government was making all possible efforts to bring prolonged and unannounced load-shedding of the gas in the province that produced nearly 70 per cent of the total gas production in the country.

The minister said that discussions were going on with the managing director of the Sui Southern Gas Company for required gas supply. "Talks are also being held with the gas company to resolved the complaints of excessive billing to the domestic consumers.

He said that the provincial government would approve business-to-business energy projects to overcome the shortage of electricity in the province.

He said a 400 MW hybrid wind-solar power project by Engro Energy Limited would be presented for approval in the cabinet meeting on Thursday. Imtiaz Sheikh further said that Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairperson Asif Zardari had directed the provincial government to make a comprehensive plan for the complete elimination of load shedding in the province.

He said that as many as 37 major hospitals across the province and the building of Karachi Press Club had been solarized.

The minister said that the Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company was also making arrangements for the transmission of electricity. He said that the cheapest electricity in the country was generated from the Thar Coal Power Plant.

To a question, the energy minister said that it was necessary to bring new companies to end the monopoly of electricity distribution companies. He said that the provincial government had taken a principled decision to take over HESCO and SEPCO and added that the federal government had no objection to the provincial government's decision.

Imtiaz Shaikh said that the work on the establishment of Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority had been geared up and with the progress on business-to-business projects, energy projects would move forward rapidly.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2023.