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| July 24, 2007 | Tuesday | Rajab 08, 1428 |
KARACHI: Load-shedding tests KESC distribution management
KARACHI, July 23: The city experienced massive load-shedding on Monday and faced a shortage of over 170 megawatts when the Korangi Thermal Power Plant developed a fault and ceased generation of electricity.
The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) continues to grapple with issues of insufficient power generation and overloaded distribution systems, and the utility’s spokesperson referred to most grids being taken off-line because of overloading. Meanwhile, many areas were subjected to prolonged power cuts at least three times a day, including Orangi, Baldia, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Federal B Area, Shah Faisal town, Malir, Korangi, Jacab Lines, Gulshan and Gulistan-i-Jauhar. Complaints were also received from parts of Clifton and Defence.
The KESC’s Siemens-led operations and management (O&M) contractors claimed this winter that they had reinforced various grid stations’ power transformers to minimise system overload and consequent load-shedding. Monday’s massive breakdown belies their claim.
On Saturday, KESC’s O&M contractors were deprived of their control over the distribution network and their role was restricted to generation and transmission. The decision has threatened the jobs held by director operations Adnan Bashir, and the O&M contractors’ representatives Sabahat and Shahzad Yunus.
Meanwhile, initial steps have been taken to establish the five billing and distribution zones. Some of the power utility’s old cadre, including Khalid Iqbal, Jameel Gul and Tariq Noor, have been inducted into a committee to oversee new operational plans for the distribution system. Jameel Gul has been given the position of Divisional Director Distribution while Asif Siddiqui has been appointed Divisional Director Billing. Under the new arrangement, both directors will each have five general managers, one for each zone. Simultaneously, the Executive Director Business Operations, Tanzeem Naqvi who was given the additional responsibility of the distribution network on Saturday, appears to be doing damage control by involving many estranged and alienated KESC staffers.
Mr Naqvi, who headed the utility during the Bhutto government, referred to the task of reinforcing the 11 kilovolt system as “stupendous” but hoped that it would be achieved.
Earlier this month, a special federal committee asked to review the KESC’s performance found that the utility’s integrated protection system is in shambles and observed that there is a dearth of qualified personnel. The experts said that high-tension (HT) and low-tension (LT) protection for distribution substations and PMTs are in bad shape, while most LT breakers are faulty. Similarly, earthing and grounding at PMTs/ substations and across the 11kV LT system also need immediate attention since many of the cradles under HT/LT lines have disappeared, leading to disintegrating but live conductors falling to the ground.
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