K-Electric failure threatening whole transmission system

ISLAMABAD: Continuous corruption, nepotism in K-Electric (KE) for the last one decade and failure of successive federal governments to check loot, plunder, bad governance and political appointments of incompetent and irrelevant people has not only destroyed the power entity, providing electricity to Pakistan’s industrial capital but the KE has also become a threat for the transmission and distribution system of the rest of the country and can cause national blackout(s) any time.
From not paying dues to other entities now amounting more than Rs128 billion, complaints of installing ‘faster meters’ and earning more than Rs400 billions (different reports proved it but no action attained finality), the new managements of KE (previously KESC) completely focused on making more and more money and profits using already existing infrastructure and ignored most important duty of updating and upgrading the transmission and distribution systems. This failure to upgrade the whole distribution and transmission system as well as KE’s inability to install protections system is causing repeated tripping which is playing havoc with life of Karachiites and industry, and has disturbed national transmission line thrice only recently and can cause national blackout. Unlike power distribution companies (DISCOS), the KE is responsible for generating electricity to fulfil its requirements. All KE managements were installed by political masters and even present set-up has many close relatives of top leaders of powerful political parties of Karachi. On October 30, 2008, The News had published complete inside details of the then management and its political connections under headline “Abraaj goes public with some of its juicy secrets”.
The federal government has upgraded transmission and distribution systems by installing new grid stations, feeders and transformers and installed relays where required along with overhauling protection system. This upgradation and a proper protection system has saved the national transmission line from the backward effects of repeated tripping (caused by KE system) and thus saving the country from a blackout. But, it is not possible every time and if the poor KE infrastructure without any proper protection system continues to trip so frequently, not only the country can face more blackouts but it will also cause huge loses to the transmission and distribution systems of the rest of country. The KE system has to transmit and distribute around 2,000 MW and now it always remains a danger for the rest of the transmission system of the country managing more than 16,500 MW of electricity.
KE Manager Media Taha Siddiqui and his deputy Adil Murtaza were not ready to respond to any query from The News despite two weeks long efforts. Questions were also sent in writing but no member of KE media team or any other official bothered to respond. However, KE in its July 8, 9 and subsequent press releases maintained that tripping at the KDA Auto-transformer and some places was caused merely because of rainy seasons. According to these media interactions, this tripping caused generation failure at Bin Qasim Power Station on July 7 and subsequently some tripping in interior Sindh did more damage.
The KE claims that it has to receive Rs28 billion from KWSB but the federal government has informed the Supreme Court previous month that KE has to pay Rs130 billion to its different departments; Rs55.9bn to the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), Rs55.5bn to the Sui Southern Gas Company, Rs3.228bn to the Pakistan State Oil, Rs4.1bn to the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, Rs0.86 billion to PTV and Rs10.6bn to different federal and provincial entities.
However, daily-based news items giving details of tripping and small-level blackouts on new places every time prove that the KE system has badly failed and its officers now even hesitate to face the media and interact with a selected few. Improvements brought by the federal government in overall transmission system have disturbed many at the NTDC. What is done by the federal government during last two years and avoided by KE management can be observed from figures; For distribution networks, 42 grid station of 132 KV have been installed while 32 grids have been upgraded from 66 KV to 132 KV with addition of new transformers. New 11 KV feeders, bifurcation of old feeders and new 25 KV, 50 KV 100 KV and 200 KV transformers is also made. At transmission level, one 500 KV grid station, 40 Km line, nine 220 KV grid stations and 761 Km line have been added. Three 500 KV grids and 117 KM line and eleven 220 KV grids and 584 Km line are under construction. The protection system is continuously examined, relays were installed, replaced or made functional. According to experts, after finding out basic problems with the system, special attention was given to wards under frequency and over frequency relays, cross trip schemes protections about their functionality endurance. Though loadshedding still continues but it has been reduced as compared to the past and industry was provided 24 hours uninterrupted electricity during last two years (except in the month of Ramazan).
The officials are hopeful that after completion of some projects including those in the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC), loadshedding will be minimised.
However, an efficient and effective transmission system is basis of whole electricity system distribution system which is also being upgraded with the investment of hundreds of billions of rupees but a ruined KE is becoming a threat to whole system and its political influence is the greatest hurdle in fixing many problems emanating from it.