June 28, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 23, 1429

LAHORE, June 27: Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Managing Director Fazal Ahmad says gas supply to Wapda’s thermal power units has almost been restored and thus the power shortfall has decreased to 4,000MW from 4,800MW.

At a press conference here on Friday, he said the duration of power outages had also been reverted to its previous schedule.

Gas supply to thermal units was suspended after two pipelines were blown up at Kashmoor a couple of days ago causing problems for consumers in the shape of increase in power outages duration.

Ahmad said alternate arrangements had been made after the suspension of gas supply as Wapda ran its power house on furnace oil and diesel.

He said Wapda was facing a 4,000MW shortfall during peak hours which was still not manageable. The peak hour power demand is over 16,750MW while the production is 12,750MW.

Fazal Ahmad said on Friday gas supply to Kapco to the tune of 100mmcf had been restored and the power house was generating 250MW. Similarly, gas supply to the rental plants and Faisalabad and Fauji Kabeerwala power houses had also been restored, he said.

He said the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) had not been authorised to shut power on its own.

He said the energy conservation plan was running successfully as under the plan around 700MW energy was being saved and its fruits were being passed on to consumers.

The Pepco MD said the energy thus saved had been supplied to industrial units, including textile, powerlooms, ghee and flour mills, and that was why the duration of loadshedding could not be reduced for domestic consumers.

He said it was impossible for Wapda to reduce to zero loadshedding in urban areas during night because it had to supply 10-hour non-stop electricity to rural areas at that time in order to meet agriculture sector requirements.

He claimed that there was no discrimination in urban areas with respect to power outages.

About a threat by independent power producers (IPPs) to discontinue power generation if their payments are not cleared, he said the reports were not true as Wapda had been clearing their dues.