KP not getting its share in electricity, Senate body told

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has been continuously refusing to give Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government its constitutional right of 13 percent share in electricity produced and in the holy month of Ramazan, out of KP’s due share, 1378MW has been transmitted to Islamabad and Punjab, resulting in hours’ long loadshedding in the province.

Right now, KP is getting less than 1500MW which is far less than its demand of 2850MW — 52pc less than its requirement.

The Senate Standing Committee on Water and Power that met here with Senator Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar in the chair took up the calling attention notice by Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak and Senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Sheikh regarding less supply of electricity to the KP against its share allocated under the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC).

The committee was informed by Senator Nauman Wazir that the province was getting only 1,378MW, whereas, the Ministry of Water and Power official contested this claim saying that the province was getting 1,750MW.

The government has focused only Punjab province, while others have been totally ignored. Almost all projects regarding transmission and distribution are under implementation in Punjab, while other three provinces despite repeated complaints to the federal government were given no heed, lawmakers expressed concern.

According to the ministry figures, in June 2017, the average power generation was 18052MW, while the province is getting far less than its share of 13 percent (2346MW). The ministry also confessed that KP was getting less than its share.

The senators alleged the center for diverting its share of electricity to Islamabad and Punjab including Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco), Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco).

Senator Nauman Wazir said that the government’s figures regarding power demand were also doubtful. Since the ministry had done rehearsal in all distribution companies (Discos), but no data was been made public by the government.

Officials of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) informed that committee that due to outdated transmission and distribution system, two main districts of the province i.e. Mardan and Swat are facing 50 percent forced loadshedding, as their feeders are unable to bear the power load.

Senator Nisar Muhammad said that in Malakand Division, recovery was 97 percent, but was facing hours’ long power outage, but the State Minister Abid Sher Ali had been giving wrong statements in Parliament. There is 100pc recovery in Hayatabad in Peshawar, but still it was facing four-hour loadshedding.

Recovery issue has been improved in the province, but still it is facing loadshedding even more than last year. 

Senator Taj Haider said that by end this year around 4000MW would be produced in Sindh province, but the federal government had not yet established the transmission lines to evacuate this power.

Officials from Balochistan said that in province, long and outdated transmission lines could not bear the load of more than 800MW.