Govt to end unannounced power outages by May 10

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to end unannounced loadshedding by May 10 across the country and focus on reducing the scheduled loadshedding to stave off the protests planned by the opposition parties.

Federal minister Khawaja Asif has declared in the National Assembly that loadshedding will continue to haunt masses this summer.On Sunday he tweeted that demand has reduced to 17,399 MW from 19,500 MW. Independent experts believe that this reduction is due to sudden rains in various parts of Punjab and KP. The minister says that generation on Sunday stood at 12,948 MW with shortfall of 4,451 MW. 

However, top sources say that the government may have to end zero loadshedding to industrial sector to provide solace to the domestic sector. Such a step may become inevitable so that the faithful have something to cheer during the holy month of Ramazan. 

As per latest presentation to the premier the government has so far injected 4,400 MW in the system since 2013 and from April, 2017 onwards to December 2017, about 6,010 MW of electricity would be added to the system subject to successful testing.   The government says that there will be no more unscheduled power outages from May 10 as the power plants that had been shut down because of annual maintenance would become operational by end of the current month. More importantly, Chashma nuclear power plant-1 will also be operational in first week of May and start injecting 300 MW. Moreover Nandipur power plant will start generating 525 MW from May 1, 2017 after it is converted to LNG. The top official also hoped that by 10 May, there will be reasonable hike in hydro generation that at present stands at over 2,600 MW.

Currently Bikki LNG based power plant has starting generating 760 MW from April, Old Guddu power plant where compressors of Nandipur power plant have been installed will start generating additional 325 MW of electricity from May 2017, the first unit of Haveli Bahadurshah LNG based project will also come on stream with 380 MW of electricity in the month of July 2017. Similarly the first unit of Sahiwal coal based power plant will also be functional in the month of July, 2017 generating 660 MW of electricity. 

The second unit of Haveli Bahadurshah LNG based project will also inject another 380 MW of electricity in the month of August. Chashma Nuclear Power Plant-4 is also set to generate 325 MW of electricity in June 2017, the second unit of Sahiwal coal based power plant is scheduled to generate another 660 MW in August, this calendar year. Balloki LNG power plant’s first unit will also come on stream with generation of 380 MW of electricity in September 2017.

Likewise, the first unit of Port Qasim Coal power plant will also start generating electricity of 660 MW in December 2017. The second unit of Balloki LNG plant will add 380 MW in the system in the month of October. Similarly the second unit of Bikki and Haveli Bahadurshah LNG based power plants will also start injecting 400 MW each in the system in the month of December. In addition 300 MW of electricity will also be injected in the system through wind and solar projects by October 2017. And over 2,000 MW of electricity will be added by February 2018 from Neelum-Jehlum and Tarbela-IV hydropower projects. 

Secretary Younas Dagha told The News in clear words that Pakistan will be purged of the curse of electricity load shedding by October 2016 as over 6,500 MW electricity will be added by that time.

Mr Dagha had told that in the first phase till March 2018, the government headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ensured the availability of the electricity in the country with additional supply of 9,000 MW of electricity and in second phase, the projects in power sector that are to be completed, will ensure the energy security with affordable prices.