KARACHI – The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has begun subjecting the industrial sector to four hours of power breakdowns from Friday, on the premise of shortage of gas and subsequent low supply of electricity. The measure comes soon after citizens began witnessing a three to four hours increase in scheduled loadshedding in various areas.
Despite the closure of many markets, government and private offices, and educational institutions due to the strike in the city, citizens braved unabated prolonged outages of as much as six hours throughout the day. But sources privy to the power generation situation told Pakistan Today that things have come to this point since the KESC is not generating enough power. KESC is currently generating almost 700 megawatts (MW) against its generating capacity of 1400 MW, and the shortfall is being met through increased load shedding.
“The KESC is refusing to generate power from furnace oil, as it claims that it is already burning 25 percent oil to generate electricity. The company has lowered the Bin Qasim Thermal Power Plant’s (BQTPP) power generation from 1150 MW to a mere 400 MW,” sources claimed. Though the company is receiving almost 650 MW from WAPDA and at least 100 MMCFD gas from the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) to run its gas-based units, the lower power generation from the dual-fuelled plants at Bin Qasim was widening the gap between demand and supply in electricity, the sources claimed.
While the SSGC has been supplying an average 100 MMCFD gas to the KESC for the past couple of months, the KESC’s demand at present is not less than 150 MMCFD. “The fresh increase in load shedding was aimed to force the government to increase gas supply to the KESC,” sources alleged.
The KESC recently claimed that it has to increase the duration of fixed load shedding as it has become impossible for the utility to maintain the present level of power supply in view of the erratic and significantly reduced gas supply and continuous oil price hike.
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