ISLAMABAD: Though electricity generation has increased in the country, hours-long power outages continued in the country amid hot weather as the state-owned power distributing companies (DISCOs) are allegedly supplying less electricity to the consumers against the demand and allocated quota.
Despite tall claims of the government to have increased power generation in the country, consumers are facing 2-14 hour long power cuts amid hot weather in the country, and that too in the holy month of Ramzan.
Documents available with Pakistan Today revealed that state-owned nine DISCOs have drawn less electricity on May 22 against the demand and the allocated quota of electricity. The total demand on May 22 was 17,309MW and the allocated quota for the day was 16,820MW while the DISCOs drew only 14,800MW with a shortage recorded at 2,509MW on that day.
It was also revealed that up to 14-hour long power cuts were being carried out in the country on May 22.
Up to two hours, power outages were observed by Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (IESCO) and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), five-hour power outages in Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and one-and-a-half hour long power outages in Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO). Similarly, seven-and-a-half hour power cuts were observed in Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) and up to 14 hours long power cuts continued in Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) on that day, said documents.
Sources in the power ministry said that DISCOs did not purchase electricity on May 22 as per their respective quotas only to hide their high line losses. They said that years-old transmission system of electricity was unable to transmit additional electricity.
Besides theft, country’s years-old poor power transmission system has been adding woes to the power consumers in the form of power cuts and a high tariff, said sources.
“One important factor which has been neglected by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is the improvements in transmission and distribution network. The benefit of generating power can only be witnessed once the transmission and distribution networks have been upgraded and line losses are reduced,” said sources.
Moreover, the documents further gave the details regarding demand, the load drawn on that day and the allocated quota of DISCOs on May 22, revealing that PESCO had drawn 1,753MW against a demand of 2,216MW while allocated quota was 2,123MW.
IESCO drew 1,476MW against the allocated quota of 1,655MW though the demand stood at 1,628MW. GEPCO drew 1,588MW against a quota of 1,716MW and demand of 1,703MW while LESCO was able to draw 3,217MW against the allocated quota of 3,404MW and a demand of 3,429MW.
On the other hand, MEPCO drew 2,584MW against a demand of 2,649MW and allocated quota of 2,755MW, FESCO drew 1,966MW against a demand of 2,063MW and a quota of 2,119MW, HESCO drew 873MW against the quota of 995MW and a demand of 954MW.
Similarly, SEPCO was able to draw 620MW against a quota of 883MW and a demand of 892MW, and QESCO drew 723MW of electricity against a demand of 1,800MW and an allocated quota of 1,145MW on May 22.