KARACHI, May 31: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation keeps its transmission and distribution system in such poor condition that more than 40 per cent of power shutdowns occur because of breakdowns and tripping at grids.

Sources told Dawn on Saturday that shortage of electricity and overloading of grid transformers, respectively, accounted for 36 per cent and 23 per cent of power shutdowns.

They added that while the city’s demand for electricity had risen to 1,970 megawatts, the KESC’s own generation system could produce only 1,150 megawatts. “The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant and other independent power produce give the KESC about 300 megawatts. This leaves the KESC with a shortage of about 520 megawatts. This gap is plugged by the Water and Power Development Authority which provides up to 600 megawatts.”

The sources pointed out that the electricity tariff at which the independent power producers sold electricity to the KESC was at least 1.6 times the cost at which the power utility generated electricity at its power plants at SITE, Korangi and Bin Qasim.

Insiders told Dawn that under an agreement signed with the independent power producers, even if the KESC did not purchase electricity from them it would be obligated to pay 60 per cent of the per unit cost as capacity charges to Tapal Energy and Gul Ahmed Energy.

“At the time of inviting the independent power producers to the country the government had given some sovereign guarantees to assure them that their profitability would not dwindle under any circumstances,” they explained, adding that if such attractive guarantees had not been made — even at the expense of consumers — the independent power producers might not have invested in the country.

The sources said that by June 1999 the total number of grid stations of the KESC had been 47 with a capacity of 3,310 mega volt-amperes. By June 2002 the number of grid stations had increased to 51 with a capacity of 3,386 mega volt-amperes, they added.

“The total number of power transformers in the city is 102. At least seven transformers are 100 per cent overloaded while 27 are more than 90 per cent overloaded and 17 are more than 80 per cent overloaded,” they explained.

The sources said that the power utility had spotted those areas where power pilferage was most rampant. “The KESC at first started to switch off feeders supplying electricity to those areas during the peak hours. This practice was finally abandoned when the media highlighted the matter and criticized the power utility for punishing law-abiding consumers for the sins of power thieves.”

They said there were at least five feeders in the city which supplied electricity to those areas where transmission and distribution losses were from 81 per cent to 100 per cent.

They explained that according to a study carried out by the KESC there were about 350,000 kundas (illegal power connections) in the city. “The load consumed by these kundas is 105 megawatts.

The loss of revenue to the KESC on account of power pilferage is Rs113.4 million per month and Rs1.3 billion per year,” they said.