Power crisis in the country has once again intensified as the shortfall surged over 6,000 megawatts on Saturday.
According to the new schedule issued by authorities, urban areas would face eight to ten hours of power cut while 12 to 14 hours of load shedding would be carried out in rural areas- stoking protests in many areas.
The Ministry of Water and Power, however, sticks to its claim of being in complete control of the situation and carrying out six hours load shedding in the cities and eight hours in rural areas, with no unscheduled load shedding in any part of the country.
It concedes merely 3,614MW deficit even during peak hours.
According to its figures, electricity generation in the country currently stands at 15,886megawatts against the demand of 19,500 megawatts. As per its details, the thermal sector generated some 9,900MW, hydle 4,850MW and wind 175MW.
But insiders of the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), an entity that transmits power to cities, admit a deficit close to 6,000MW. According to them, the ministerial claim has three loopholes; exaggerated thermal generation, reduced demand and additional load-shedding in areas of high losses. All three reasons, especially the last one, are open to as much rigging as one wants to. “To begin with, a thermal generation has never gone close to 10,000MW, as claimed by the ministry,” says an official of the company.
“It is not only additional load shedding for high losses areas, but the ministry has also added another dimension – local problems, which are bound to happen at high temperature and could be used as an excuse for any load management,” says an official of Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco).
Sources said that the demand for electricity by Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) alone has doubled.
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