Electricity theft: PM seeks out China know how in curbing line losses

Nawaz meets president of China Southern Power Grid.

GUANGZHOU: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday asked a prominent Chinese company to provide suggestions and provide assistance towards curbing power line losses, theft and pilferage in Pakistan. The prime minister who arrived here this morning on the third leg of his five-day official visit, held a meeting with the president of China Southern Power Grid (CSG) Zhao Jianguo.

The prime minister told him that they were active discussions on building power plants based on coal, solar and wind resources, adding that Pakistan was blessed with abundant water resources and coal reservoirs to generate energy. He said they were in touch with the Chinese companies, already involved and working in this sector and received a good response from the Chinese side and is now entering into agreements with these companies.



“We have been working in the energy sector,” he said and added that it would take time, but for the moment, they were working upon plans to cut down line losses, power theft and pilferage. The prime minister, on the occasion, sought the suggestion from Zhao in this regard. The company president agreeing with the request said that proper management and supervision coupled with implementation of stringent laws could help reduce this menace.

To a question posed by Premier Nawaz, he said that in China, the line losses had been slashed from 6 per cent to 1 per cent. Zhao said his company was ready to provide help to Pakistan in addressing the problem of line losses, theft and pilferage. The prime minister asked him to provide their consultancy so that the existing bonds of friendship could be further strengthened.

Regarding Pak-China economic corridor, the prime minister said that both the countries attached high importance to its execution, adding that “this is the biggest project which starts from Gwadar to Kashgar.

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