Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday said load shedding could not be completely done away with, however, power outages would be conducted on an equal basis across the four provinces and the government would make all out efforts to curtail power theft and overcome load shedding.
He was addressing a press conference after chairing the Energy Conference 2012, which was attended by all four chief ministers, Azad Jammu and Kashmir PM and federal ministers for power and finance.
Gilani said a number of proposals like two days holiday a week for government offices, closure of markets at 8pm except on Saturdays, cutting electricity supply to billboards and usage of energy savers instead of regular bulbs would be put in place to save energy.
He said all stakeholders of the conference agreed on various proposals and it was expected that these measures would help curtail load shedding in the country. The prime minister said the provincial heads would discuss these proposals with their parties and then decide on it. He said 700MW would be saved through cutting electricity to sign boards and billboards.
To a question on the construction of Kalabagh Dam, the PM said building the dam was impossible without consensus. “We have consensus on Diamer Bhasha Dam and it has already been started,” the PM said, adding that the schedule of government offices would also be determined in accordance with winter and summer seasons.
Gilani said a special law would be constituted against energy theft. He said the government was considering diverting gas to power producers and also giving additional gas to KAPCO so that maximum power could be produced and load shedding could be reduced.
“We do not want to take any step that creates problems for the coming government,” he said, adding that in the last four years, the government added 3,400MW to the national grid.
He said the government was serious in controlling energy theft and it drafted the Gas Theft Act and now would further legislate to control electricity theft more efficiently.
He said the government also gave leverage to the poor.
“Lifeline consumers used to pay bills on 50 units, but we relaxed them by increasing the threshold to 100 units,” he added. He thanked the Punjab chief minister for clearing the dues owed by his province and hoped that other provinces would follow suit. Earlier, speaking at Energy Conference 2012, Prime Minister Gilani emphasized upon the provinces to play their role in efforts for generating power to overcome energy crisis facing the country.
He elaborated that government strategy involves further exploitation of hydropower to reduce cost of input, developing coal reserves for power generation and to convert the plants from oil to coal in the short-term, as the Thar alone had 175 billion tonnes of coal and was suitable for power generation of around 100,000MW annually.
“We remain a victim of shifts in oil market until we have a national consensus on long-term policy for secure, affordable energy future and then execute it. This challenge is huge and we all need to work in unison before the energy crisis overwhelms us completely.”
Gilani said the present government had worked on changing the energy mix and shifting towards hydel and coal generation.
“For this, we have accelerated work on Neelum-Jhelum power project; finalized financing for a more turbines in Tarbela with the assistance of World Bank; starting work on Diamer-Bhasha Dam; design is underway for Dasu Dam; rehabilitation of Jabban hydropower Malakand; Jaggran-II with the assistance of France; Gomal Zam and Satpara Dam with the US assistance and Patrind Hydropower (AJK) in the private sector by a Korean Company,” he said.
The prime minister said the government was also building Chashma-III and IV, and 747MW Guddu combined cycle with the assistance of China; improvement of transmission and distribution system as well as building new grid stations with major assistance of Asian Development Bank.
SHAHBAZ HAPPY: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif told reporters after the meeting that he was “happy after the conference, as the federal government has accepted the stance of Punjab for carrying out equal load shedding in the entire country”.
“All stakeholders of the conference have agreed that there will be no discrimination in load shedding in the future,” the Punjab CM said, adding that when there was a crisis, everyone should share the burden equally.
Speaking during the conference earlier, Shahbaz said power shortage had destroyed national economy and adversely affected factories, banks, shops, offices and business centres.
He said Punjab had fulfilled its responsibilities in this regard, but the issue of circular debt had still not been resolved and this debt had now reached a staggering figure of more than Rs 400 billion.
He said supply of gas to power sector should be increased and the plants showing better performance should be given preference in fuel supply.
He proposed that DISCOs be privatized for improving their efficiency and observed that it would also eliminate corruption.
The CM said the payment ratio of Punjab was much better than any other area of the country, which could be judged from the fact that FESCO had only 11 percent line losses, while the recovery rate was 99.8 percent.
He said the people of Punjab were paying their dues, but they were part of a system which favoured thieves and defaulters and penalized the honest.
Shahbaz said 2,000 megawatt energy could be produced from the baggass of 75 sugar mills, but no attention has been paid to this sector during the last four years.
Who the hell you are complaining to? You are prime minister of this country, you are responsible for this, being prime minister of Pakistan doent mean your duty end with serving yourself and the President in all his ill deeds. If you cant do anything to solve issues, just resign dont complain you are not in opposition mate!
Power crisis has been created due to ineptitude of Mian Nawaz and Musharaf. Mian Nawaz ill-advisedly cancelled 5000MW TharCoalProject in 1997, and some other power projects and shifted funds to motorway construction. Musharaf Govt never realized and relied on generation levels achieved during Benazir govt 1993-96. Result, country statrted facing crisis again in 2006, and it gor worse later. RentalPower was a good initiative, and Bangladesh govt also working on 40 rental power. But revenge grudge-politics in this country has given us this crisis.
I fail to understand that why people cant understand that lmajority oad shedding is not due to shortage of capacity. Pakistan has sufficient capcity to meet the demand. The issue is revenue recovery and ability to pay to power producers. How was rental power a good initiative where investors installed junk equipment which would produce power at at very very high cost. They will not produce anything unless they are paid. If you cant pay them then how the the hell these plant will solve load shedding problem. Moreover the main defaulter who do not pay the bill are influencial people. They they dont bills then how can you pay power producers.
Stop this blame game, PPP has spent more than 4 years after Musharraf now. So this has to end, what Gilani has done so far to generate or solve any power generation issues? Everybody now knows why PPP rental power when current installed capacity is enough provided the private producers are paid. If every government spend all years in power and then blame the previous one, they should better handover the government to previous people too. PPP or PML-N they dont have strategic thinking to drive this country out of any crises, always thinking short and viable corruption ways for development projects. Its a shame that 2 major dams were built by no one else but a dictator! Benazir installed thermal units where the coal has to be imported to be used with these units not Thar coal or use Gas, the rate promised to them were not viable for any government so we end up in circular debt every few years after solving it.
i agreed with shakil. actually government cant do any thing for improvement they only fool the people of Pakistan and they just do only time pass.. not do any thing. as Pm said his government included 3400MW in national grid in past four years. if this is true than why Pakistan facing 5000 to 6000 mw shortage. why?
Gilani sab ap our zardari kuttun se be bure ho kyun ke dogs pher b wafa dar hote hain
come to ur senses. When a man does not have any logic to support his arguement, he resorts to abusive and expletives.
Masha Allah kia language hai aap ki ! ! !
Has P.M figured it out now that Energy crisis affecting every sector of country. Did he not know untill now. Why this dumb person is P.M. Instead of tellin people what is obvious to everyone he should do something. What an idiot.
bro still we all vote him and select PM of Pakistan. so we are all losser…
IT IS U,ZARDARI,MQM,ANP,MLC RESPONSIBLE FOR ENERGY CEISIS FOR KILLING KALABAGH DAM FOR BILLION $$ COMMISSION FROM OIL COMPANIES,INDIA WHOM U LET BUILT DAMS ON OUR WATERS.U R ENEMIES OF PAKISTAN,ENEMIES OF POOR AND DESERVE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR RUINING NATION AND COUNTRY.UR CROCODILE WORDS ARE JUST MOCKERY AS UR CLOUT IS.
Why not NAWAZOO govt of Punjabi built power houses. They hv authority to build power plants under 18th amendment. But why? because SharifBrothers can mint much more corruption money in building roads and bridges, sasti roti, ashiana, and LAPTOP Scandals
True
This authority was granted in June 2011 and can anyone explain, who can build a project a project of 30 months in mere 10 months. By the way a project of Punjab Govt. Nandipur Power Project was initiated but the machinery was stucked at Karachi port for more than six months. And finally the bill collection is being done by the Fed. Govt., who is not paying to GENCOS e. g. in last six months twice the GENCOS threaten to invoke sovereign guarantee of Govt. of Pakistan and if Punjab Govt. use public money to build GENCOS who will pay to generate electricity???????? If we pay bills honestly and govt. pays dues of GENCOS efficiently there will be no load shedding. Simple.
Pakistans needs to come out of this "big-dam"-trap. Pakistan has a lot of water. Install small hydrolic turbines and produce electricity. Simple. Use head, people.
How can they use their heads when all govt attention is diverted towards SupremeCourt stay orders on everything, date-fixing for govt removal since the very first month they came to power, and to keep up their weak coalition and BLACKMAILING allies. Next election, people shud elect any part with clear majority
A mandate. A (clear) responsibility center. YES…
They would not be in supreme court if this government was not so corrupt. A lot nation,s time will be saved if the crook and corrupt president and his cronies returns the nation's money which they looted and plundered. Moreover, can you expect people like Jamshed Dasti, Raja Riaz, Babar Awan etc etc. to use their head. They are evils and incompetent. I urge to see a video on You tube where Raja Riaz is trying to read a written statement with the help of three person sitting around.
Normally an honest government shouldnt worry about courts! If too worried about coalition and not working as it should, in all democracies around the world governments announce an other election. But my friend these are not the cause of poor governance!
So far only 2 Big-dams has been supporting Pakistan cheaply and reliably, while small dams are also needed, mega structures(Dams, wind, Solar, Nuclear) are required for next 20 years demand of energy consumption.
gillani and zardari are so full of hot air that if we harvest energy out of them, we could be energy independent for generations to come. gillani will go down in history as the worst leader Pakistan has ever had.
I think we have lost the ability to resolve issues without fighting or may be don't have it even in the first place. It’s true that the current government simple lack the will & desire to resolve the grim power shortage in the country. But the resultant scenario is affecting the nation across the board. So instead of fighting & slinging mud upon each other, we should instead sit together to resolve this issue.
I am not an expert on this, but still can assure you that it is simply a management issue & if addressed amicably, can easily be resolved.
Electricity is not only the issue Pakistan is facing. What about Fuel and other issues. Yes we can not solve these issues until and unless every person of this country is held accountable for his/her deeds.
Each and every effort by the Goverment is based not to produce electricity but to kill the industry and office work so people will sit down at home doing nothing.
Will they still get paid for it?????????? may be for a time being but not in a long run.
So pakistan will rely on India and USA and our good democratic leaders will get millions to kill Pakistan.
Pak Dirty Politics.
more you know about it the more dirt comes out from it.
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