Energy crises: USAID sets up computer centre

‘The centre will help Mepco segregate technical losses, reduce losses’.

MULTAN:

A planning and engineering computer centre was inaugurated at the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) on Thursday. 

The centre has been funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
A USAID press release stated that the centre was equipped with latest computers and software that engineers at Mepco would use to ensure a more reliable supply of power to the consumers.

USAID Mission Director Jock Conly said that one of the US government’s priorities was to strengthen Pakistan’s energy sector to increase electricity supply to consumers.

He said that power distribution companies did not have a system to assess energy losses. This, he said, made it difficult to come up with a solution to the energy crisis.

He said the USAID Power Distribution Programme was helping Mepco by establishing a planning and engineering computer centre and using the same software that was used in the US to manage energy to perform much-needed assessments and implement plans for loss reduction.

Conly said the establishment of a computer centre will allow Mepco to segregate technical losses so they could plan and implement plans for loss reduction.

These plans, he said, would enable the energy sector to save megawatts and increase revenues, which, he added, were both key to solving the debt issue.

He said USAID had established similar computer centres for seven other DISCOs. Through the Power Distribution Project, he said, USAID was introducing new technologies like smart meters to improve meter reading and thus improving the accuracy of billing.

The press release also said that US was helping renovate thermal power plants at Jamshoro, Guddu, and Muzaffagarh, which have added 650 megawatts to the national grid since September 2011.

It said the US government was also co-financing the completion of the Gomal Zam and Satpara Dams, which would add another 35 megawatts and irrigate more than 200,000 acres.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2013.