Power breakdown: Zardari takes stock of Sunday’s blackout
Officials give detailed briefing on what went wrong.
Two 220 kilovolt (KV) lines and three 132 KV lines stopped working, disrupting power at 20 of KESC’s 60 grid stations. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Following the nationwide power blackout on Sunday, a high-level meeting was held on Tuesday at the Presidency with President Asif Ali Zardari in the chair to take stock of the power crisis in the country.
The president was informed that the power failure that resulted from the technical faults at National Power Control Centre (NPCC) had been rectified, and an inquiry committee constituted with a Water and Power Development Authority official as its convener to investigate the causes and identify those who were responsible for the blackout.
Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Finance Minister Saleem H Mandviwala, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain and senior officials of the concerned ministries were all present at the meeting.
Presidential spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said Zardari was briefed about the causes of the crippling power outage Sunday night that plunged 70% of the country into darkness after the NPCC developed technical faults.
The president was also briefed on the measures that have been taken to avoid a repeat of such a failure. Mukhtar briefed Zardari about the current demand and supply gap in power. Hussain on the other hand briefed him about the availability of fuel and gas for electricity generation.
The progress made so far on various ongoing projects in the energy sector with special reference to finances involved in their completion was also discussed.
Background
Faults in the NPCC, situated in the capital, developed around 11:30 pm on Sunday night. The faults led to a blackout in all major urban centres, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad and Faisalabad.
An official from the Pakistan Electric Power Company had said an overload on the transmission system was behind the massive breakdown. He blamed the incumbent government for not upgrading the transmission and distribution system.
Another official in the power sector had said that the problem could have emerged as the 550MW Uch power plant had stopped working. According to the official, the system tripped due to low generation and high electricity demand across the country.
After the Uch power plant tripped, Hub power plant followed, causing a failure in Karachi Electric Supply Company’s transmission system. Subsequently, Mangla and Tarbela powerhouses went down as well.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2013.
Following the nationwide power blackout on Sunday, a high-level meeting was held on Tuesday at the Presidency with President Asif Ali Zardari in the chair to take stock of the power crisis in the country.
The president was informed that the power failure that resulted from the technical faults at National Power Control Centre (NPCC) had been rectified, and an inquiry committee constituted with a Water and Power Development Authority official as its convener to investigate the causes and identify those who were responsible for the blackout.
Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Finance Minister Saleem H Mandviwala, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain and senior officials of the concerned ministries were all present at the meeting.
Presidential spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said Zardari was briefed about the causes of the crippling power outage Sunday night that plunged 70% of the country into darkness after the NPCC developed technical faults.
The president was also briefed on the measures that have been taken to avoid a repeat of such a failure. Mukhtar briefed Zardari about the current demand and supply gap in power. Hussain on the other hand briefed him about the availability of fuel and gas for electricity generation.
The progress made so far on various ongoing projects in the energy sector with special reference to finances involved in their completion was also discussed.
Background
Faults in the NPCC, situated in the capital, developed around 11:30 pm on Sunday night. The faults led to a blackout in all major urban centres, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad and Faisalabad.
An official from the Pakistan Electric Power Company had said an overload on the transmission system was behind the massive breakdown. He blamed the incumbent government for not upgrading the transmission and distribution system.
Another official in the power sector had said that the problem could have emerged as the 550MW Uch power plant had stopped working. According to the official, the system tripped due to low generation and high electricity demand across the country.
After the Uch power plant tripped, Hub power plant followed, causing a failure in Karachi Electric Supply Company’s transmission system. Subsequently, Mangla and Tarbela powerhouses went down as well.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2013.