ISLAMABAD: The government has set up control rooms one each at Lahore and Islamabad to ensure and monitor uninterrupted power supply across the country on polling day till completion of counting of votes.

The power division on Monday said the control rooms had been set up under the supervision of two additional secretaries to coordinate with all generation and distribution companies (Discos) and take necessary steps on the spot where required to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply at polling stations.

Additional secretary Waseem Mukhtar will supervise the control room at Islamabad while additional secretary Dr Aamir Ahmed will supervise the control room at Wapda House, Lahore.

Power Division Secretary Rizwan Memon will monitor the overall situation and the monitoring teams will keep updating federal Minister for Energy Syed Ali Zafar.

Distribution companies have set up special election control rooms

The division has issued necessary directions to the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) and all Discos to ensure uninterrupted power supply across the country on July 25 till completion of counting of votes.

Discos have already established special election control rooms at their headquarters under the supervision of directors of operations and monitor respective power dispatch centres of each Disco.

Moreover, special ground and emergency staff have also been deputed at each sub-division to remove any fault in their areas, while all grid station staff and officers will remain on duty. Discos would keep available emergency generators to meet any emergency.

The industrial sector would remain closed on polling day to bridge demand and supply gap. Supply to prime user industries would also be stopped in case of an increase in the demand-supply gap.

Similarly, a well worked out plan has been prepared by all Discos in coordination with the NPCC to reduce load on feeders to avoid forced loadshedding. Discos have already provided additional material to the regional and field stores which will remain open on polling day.

Discos have already been directed to ensure well-equipped vehicles ready at each sub-division, besides ensuring ample quantity of transformers.

Lists of polling stations and returning officers have also been provided to the operation heads of sub-divisions and preventive maintenance electric network and distribution transformers feeding the polling stations have already been completed, said the power division.

It said all grid station officers and staff would remain on the toes to ensure grid stations operational and a close liaison would be maintained throughout the day with the NPCC to keep the continuity of power supply.

Operation managers of all Discos have been directed to chalk out contingency plans to reduce load of any feeder to avoid forced loadshedding by the NPCC, especially in those areas where there is any possibility of forced loadshedding because of National Transmission and Dispatch Company’s constraints.

The federal compliant cell at the power division would remain functional to address complaints of the consumers on telephone numbers 051-9103888, 051-9204430 and 051-9206834.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018