- Says electricity load shedding won’t exceed six hours in summers, directs measures for improving security of plants and transmission lines
Chairing the 10th meeting of Cabinet Committee on Energy at the Prime Minister’s House Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that more electricity will soon be available in the system and directed that load shedding in summers should not be more than six hours in urban areas and no more than eight hours in rural areas in summer.
During the meeting, the Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB) chairman gave a presentation on Power Generation Policy 2015. He informed the committee that previous power policies of 1994 and 2002 were restrictive and did not cater to the new fuels that are being added to the power generation system i.e. coal and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). He explained salient features of the new policy as well as major improvements being recommended.
The official informed the committee that a new policy is needed in order to address the concerns arising due to use of new fuels and delayed payments to power generation companies.
The new policy, after formulation, will be put up before the Council of Common Interest (CCI) for approval whose meeting would be convened next week.
Moreover, the Water and Power secretary gave a presentation on projected demand and supply during summers of 2015 along with a load management plan.
The prime minister directed that steps should be taken for improving security of plants and transmission lines. He asked the Water and Power Ministry to look into the possibility of improving its own capacity for providing security to the transmission lines.
The prime minister also gave directions that electricity should be provided to the villages near the plants in Balochistan. He said that distribution companies, especially Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), should be directed to remove their internal distribution system constraints.
Furthermore, the prime minister was informed about progress on 3600 mega watts (MWs) LNG-based power projects along with timelines. A national power management company along with three subsidiaries have been formed for executing these projects.
According to the timeline, by August 2017, combined cycle generating 3600 MW will be completed while open cycle will start by the end of 2016.
The prime minister directed that all timelines should be strictly followed so that power generation could start before the deadline.