KARACHI – This summer won’t be any different from the past for the crises-hit 18 million people of Karachi, as no additional electricity generation arrangements have been made by the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) despite increase in demand of power in the city.
In absence of further arrangements and the total consumption of power in the city surging to around 2,400MW, the KESC would resort to additional two to three hours of load shedding as it would face a shortfall of 400-500MW from the next month. Despite the grave situation of power shortage witnessed in the city during the last summer, the KESC has not added any new power-generating source to its existing capacity but is also reportedly going to shut down a 50MW rental power project.
Moreover, seven gas-based power plants – with the combined capacity of 130MW – are lying idle as the KESC wants them to be decommissioned, while the Defence COGEN plant, which supplies around 80MW – has been out of order for more than six months now. Under the given situation, the power company would be hardly able to supply around 1,900-2,000MW to the city, whereas, the normal demand of electricity in April reaches 2,400MW.
The citizens already facing four to six hours of power load shedding in three spells will have to spend almost five to eight hours of the day without power this summer. The power utility has increased the load shedding duration this month while further increases are likely in the next month.
According to a report, in April 2010 the KESC was carrying out six to seven hours of load shedding as its Bin Thermal Qasim Power Plants were supplying only 600MW out of total capacity of 1,150MW. The company faced a shortfall of at least 500MW against the 2,350MW demand.
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