Karachi to receive additional 1400MW by 2023: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Monday said Karachi city would receive additional 1400MW electricity by 2023.He said this while chairing a special meeting here to review the future electricity demand-supply outlook of Karachi.The meeting deliberated upon the possible measures to supply additional electricity to Karachi through the national grid to meet the future requirements.

The meeting was informed that the electricity demand in Karachi was expected to rise to almost 4100MW by 2023, and thus, would require additional 1300MW to meet the future requirements.

Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, SAPM on Mineral Development Shahzad Qasim, and officials from NEPRA, NTDC and K-Electric were present during the meeting.

The meeting was informed that to meet the future requirements of Karachi, Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) had given the requisite approvals for the supply of 500MW from K2/K3 project.

The meeting was also briefed about the commissioning of new gas plants to replace the old thermal power plants running at low efficiency. The meeting concluded that by FY 2023, 1400 MW of electricity could be supplied to Karachi through the construction and up gradation of grid stations at Karachi West and Bin Qasim.

Chairman CCOE Asad Umar directed the concerned quarters to look into the commercial aspects of the projects and to remove any bottlenecks in the construction of new grid stations. He assured all the stakeholders that the federal government would provide support to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity to the citizens of Karachi.