The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) is clandestinely sending billions of rupees out of country, claimed Choudhary Mazhar Ali, general secretary of the KESC Shareholders Association, in a press statement.
“The power utility is carrying out load shedding for more than 10 hours even though it has a power generation capacity of over 2,300MW while the maximum demand of the city is around 2,400MW,” he added.
“The citizens of Karachi are suffering only due to the mismanagement of the present non-technical bosses of the utility.”
Ali said that the KESC management always complains about the unavailability of funds for purchasing furnace oil, but the power utility is actually receiving 700MW from WAPDA without paying a single penny.” Similarly, he said, it is paying nothing to the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and its dues to the latter have swelled to around Rs 29 billion.
“As the monthly revenue collection of the company is around Rs 9 billion, the shareholders want to know where the money is being spent,” he added.
Ali demanded that an inquiry into the financial affairs of the company. The government is providing too much financial relief to the company in the shape of subsidies and is also forcing WAPDA and the SSGC to power and gas supply, respectively, to the utility.
“Under the present circumstances, there is no justification for load shedding in the city as the government has ensured provision of 200MMCFD gas to the KESC and has also granted a subsidy of Rs 3 billion for the purchase of furnace oil,” said Ali.
“The KESC has a generation capacity of more than 1,200MW that includes six old units of 160MW each and one new unit of 115MW at Bin Qasim. Three units of 52MW each out of four units at KTPS are presently working while 90MW is being generated at KGTS using small engines,” he explained
The power utility’s nine gas turbines of 25MW each can generate about 180MW, but they have been declared decommissioned for unknown reasons,” he added.
“The private plants of Tapal and Gul Ahmed provide the KESC with 240MW of electricity, whereas WAPDA is giving 700MW and 80MW is added by KANUPP. If all of this is added, the required amount of power could be provided to the city,” Ali concluded.
