Interim relief: Industrial estates exempted from load-shedding

PESCO takes decision after outcry over power cuts

PESHAWAR: Peshawar Electric Supply Company has exempted industrial estates across the province from load-shedding. The decision was widely appreciated by industrialists on Wednesday.

The announcement was made following directives from Pesco Load Management Director Sajjad Ahmad Sethi to provide relief to industry in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and help it run on full capacity.Traders of Hayatabad Industrial Estate, Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road, Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate and other zones had earlier expressed concerns over prolonged and unannounced power outages.

They had requested authorities to ensure a steady supply of power, gas and other utilities to the estates to keep the province’s industry running and minimise its losses.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Maqsood Anwar Pervez said, “There are no line losses in industrial estates of the province.  Therefore, Pesco has no reason to conduct load-shedding in these areas and they should be exempted from outages.”

He said the WAPDA has devised a similar load management mechanism under which there are no power outages in areas where line losses are minimum. Pervez said due to these outages the industry suffered badly and was currently operating on half capacity.

He added numerous factories and business units had already shut down, giving rise to unemployment. “All of the province’s industrial estates require a total of 170 megawatts which the electric supply company can provide at ease.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2015.