AHMAD AHMADANI
The Pakistan State Oil has asked Ministry of Water & Power to issue standing instructions to the concerned quarters for uplifting committed quantities of fuel oil in order to ensure supplies to private and state-owned power plants.
Finding difficulties in storing fuel oil, state-owned oil giant (PSO) has written a letter to Power Ministry, asking to ensure supplies of fuel oil to the power plants. The PSO said that the power plants did not uplift committed quantities of the fuel oil.
“Ministry of Water and Power is therefore, requested to issue standing instructions to the concerned quarters for uplifting committed quantities of HSFO (high speed furnace oil) in order to ensure sustainable supplies of fuel oil to power plants and to average future import plans accordingly,” the PSO said in a letter written on November 23.
The sources told that the PSO has also informed the Petroleum Ministry about the difficulties being faced in storing and supplying the fuel oil to power plants. They said the PSO has been facing additional expenses because three ships carrying 204974 metric ton furnace oil could not off load and were kept on waiting at Fauji Oil Terminal Karachi Port. They also said that the PSO has been facing financial constraints in fulfilling the agreement related to supply of furnace oil on seven days credit. “The Power Ministry has still not paid Rs 11 billion to the PSO despite the lapse of committed time period, the sources said.
The sources further said that the Power Ministry has closed power plants many times without intimation to PSO. The unannounced closures of power plants have been causing problems in storing the furnace oil and additional expenditures to the PSO.
The official sources said that furnace oil reserves in the country have been keeping 759,022 metric ton, which was sufficient to meet 27 days needs of the power plants run on fuel oil. They said the daily consumption of these power plants stood at 28320 metric ton. Surprisingly, when contacted a spokesperson of the Power Ministry to get the version and raise the gravity of the issue, he said, ”It is a routine letter.”
It is to note here that Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has already issued annual canal closure from December 26 to January 31 for de-silting and maintenance. The canal closure will reduce hydel power generation and electricity needs will be met with power plants running on furnace oil or gas in the country.