ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has decided to form a special police force to curb electricity theft, especially in areas where recovery is abysmally low.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif, on Thursday, was briefed on power theft, line losses and other issues plaguing the power generation and transmission system.

The proposed police force will take action in areas where recovery is low while power theft is over 60 per cent.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the rep­ort of the countrywide power breakdown on Jan 23 was also presented in the meeting.

The prime minister directed the power division to take action against those identified as responsible in the report.

The countrywide breakdown, which originated at the Guddu Power Plant, plunged the entire country into darkness, with power returning in many areas after 48 hours.

Later, an independent probe committee, set up by the National Electric Power Regulatory Autho­r­ity, found serious violations of safety and security protocols coupled with deficiencies in the power system. The report blamed the officials of the Guddu Power Plant as the breakdown was triggered at its switchyard for lack of safety protocols. It also pinned the blame on Nat­ional Transmission and Despatch Company, KE and the majority of public and private sector power plant operators for poor performance. It said that an abnormal increase in the frequency of the alternate current line tripped the automatic security system of power plants.

The Kot Addu Power Plant had the facility of ‘black start’ — the procedure to recover from a total or partial shutdown of the transmission system — but due to the exp­iry of the contract, it could not be made operational.

“The nation is awaiting strict action against those responsible for the breakdown that left the country in a power blackout for sev­­eral hours,” the prime minister said during the meeting. He directed the formation of a special cabinet committee to finalise a strategy to end line losses, power theft of electricity and solarisation of tube wells. The meeting agreed to chalk out a comprehensive plan for the generation and supply of electricity.

The meeting decided to link the generation and supply system linked with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition — a software to monitor industrial processes and gather data in real-time.

The meeting was informed that a mega project to convert tubewells to solar power is in the working and will start from Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2023