Inauguration: USAID-funded system to reduce power breakdowns in Gujranwala

GUJRANWALA:

An electricity monitoring and management system, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was formally inaugurated on Monday in Gujranwala. The system has dramatically reduced unscheduled load shedding.

According to a statement issued by USAID Pakistan, US Lahore Consul General Zachary Harkenrider and Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) CEO Zahoor Ahmed Chohan inaugurated the power distribution centre.

“Supporting the Pakistani government efforts to improve the performance of the energy sector is one of our top assistance priorities,” said Harkenrider. “We work hand in hand with government officials and specialists in the power sector to improve the delivery of power to consumers,” he said.

According to the statement, the new centre receives real-time data on electricity loads in various parts of the network. “This critical information is a key factor which enables the power distribution companies to prevent unscheduled load shedding. To upgrade the power flow management, the USAID, through its Power Distribution Programme (PDP), installed state-of-the-art technology at the power distribution centres of all distribution companies,” the statement said. The statement said that the technology provided current data on the loads throughout the power network which allowed power distribution companies to make prompt adjustments and avoid overloads of the system.

Maggie Schoch, the acting USAID provincial director, also attended the event. “The PDP is a five-year programme launched in 2010 to support the Pakistani government in its efforts to strengthen operations of power distribution companies. The project aims at eliminating the need for subsidies in the power sector and improving supply of electricity to consumers,” the statement said. “The programme works to improve governance, policy framework, and management of the power sector to reduce distribution losses, increase collection of the bills, and enhance customer services. The improvements introduced by the PDP have eliminated around $180 million in annual losses to the economy and increased distribution company revenues by approximately $250 million a year,” the statement said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2015.