Despite the fact that the population of the city increases by more than two million every year – thereby augmenting power needs of the city – the management of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has not made any arrangement to boost supply this summer, Pakistan Today has learnt. The KESC currently faces a shortage of over 215 megawatts (MW) this summer as compared to last year, even though the city needs at least 10 percent additional electricity capacity every year to meet the increasing demand of power.
The company’s demand-supply deficit has increased further after it lost supply from the Defence Cogen Power Plant, Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) or from the rental power company EGRICO; the power utility used to get 85MW, 80MW and 50 MW respectively from each of the power sources. The Defence Cogen Power Plant, the city’s only steam-based power plant of over 85 megawatts, had been shut down in May 2010 after its compressor developed faults.
It has been six months since KANUPP’s closure, as the nuclear power plant closed operations in November 2010 on the premise of prolonged overhauling – a process that was said to take “more than a month.” The third source, EGRICO, sold 50 MW to the KESC as per an agreement signed in January 2009, but the timeframe of the accord expired a few weeks ago and the private company packed up and left.
After EGRICO’s departure, the total deficit of power supply in the KESC’s system has swelled to over 200 MW, but is likely to increase further, sources said, adding that the power utility was now forced to rely on expensive electricity generated by burning furnace oil.
Sources claimed that not much investment has been made in adding more power to the grid, even though the KESC management had signed an agreement with the government to inject almost $ 361 million to increase power generation, as well as replacing and maintaining the existing obsolete distribution systems. GHULAM ABBAS
