Murad urges new KE management to upgrade system

Sindh’s chief minister has urged the new management of K-Electric to upgrade the supply, transmission and distribution systems of the privatised utility to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the citizens of Karachi.

CM Murad Ali Shah said this while talking to a delegation of the new KE management, led by Vice President Xia Meixing.

The delegation also included CFO Chen Wen-Hao, Head of Project Shi Mingwei, Head of Generation Pan Lomgxin, and Chief Generation & Transmission Officer Dale Sinkler.

The provincial chief executive was accompanied by Principal Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch and Energy Secretary Agha Wasif.

CM Shah stressed a dire need to improve the entire KE system, including generation, transmission and distribution.

“You will have to reduce the tariff and give special incentives to the people living in the slum areas and Katchi Abadis so that every consumer could pay their bill,” he said.

He added that he was working hard to ensure generation of electricity through different sources. On the subject he said a power project at Nooriabad would start generating 100MW from next year.

“I have requested the federal government to provide gas so that its [power generation] capacity could be doubled, and the centre has given us assurances in this regard,” said Shah.

KE VP Xia Meixing said he had initiated the process of taking over the power utility, for which his company – the Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd – had worked out an incentives-based plan as regards power tariff, adding that the power utility would also work together with the government for community development.

He said his company was one of the largest power utility companies in the world. “Shanghai is the industrial hub of China, as my company is providing smooth supply of power to industrial units, commercial areas and domestic consumers of the city.”  The VP also said his company would invest $9 billion to enhance the entire system of KE and would also announce packages for poor domestic consumers. “Our plan is to enhance commercial and industrial activities [in Karachi] by providing business units with uninterrupted power supply wherever they want,” he said.

It will be the utmost effort of the company to make electricity affordable for everyone in the city, he added. The chief executive said reduction in power tariff to make the commodity more affordable would be in the interest of the company as well, because everyone would be able to meet its expenses. 

“You also have to reduce line losses of the company,” he said to the KE delegation, “and provide the trickle-down benefits to the consumers. Expensive electricity is not affordable; therefore, illegal means are adopted by the people to use it.”

On behalf of the provincial administration, CM Shah assured full support for the new management of the electricity company.