December 24, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 25, 1429

KARACHI, Dec 23: Unannounced load-shedding continued on Tuesday as the cash-starved Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation generated an alarmingly low level of power. Power outages are playing havoc with businesses and industries while also badly affecting the lives of ordinary consumers.

On Tuesday, the KESC’s flagship Bin Qasim generating plant churned out just 220 megawatts, and the utility did not procure any power from independent power producers. According to sources, Units I, V and VI generated 60MW, 70MW and 90MW respectively.

Unit II has been shut for several days now, with the KESC citing refurbishment. Units III and IV are not operating because the KESC management cannot afford to pay for fuel. As the remaining units are operating on natural gas, low pressures, common in the winter months, are forcing them to operate at low levels.

Despite strong public protests over load-shedding and declining power generation, the government has yet to take notice of the KESC management’s linking of increasing generation with the clearance of dues. Market sources believe this link has been made in order to put pressure on the government to further bail out the KESC.

The KESC management has so far been unable to explain why funds have not been diverted from the promised US$360 million investment in order to overcome this acute shortage of liquidity and provide consumers with uninterrupted power.

Citizens of Karachi are currently facing at least four spells of load-shedding everyday, with each spell lasting an hour or more. The utility has also been shutting down overloaded feeders.

This acute power shortage in winter, when the demand for electricity falls drastically due to air conditioning units not being used by homes and businesses, is remarkable.

The KESC maintained that Tuesday’s shortfall was around 300 megawatts, attributing this mainly to the status of the Bin Qasim plant.

The DHA Co-Gen Power Plant is still off the grid. It was expected that the plant would resume sharing at least 80 megawatts on Dec 16, but that resumption has been delayed further, and is now likely to occur on Jan 6, 2009, according to an officer.