LAHORE: In a bid to provide uninterrupted power supply in upcoming summer, the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has successfully upgraded its 220kV Gakhar Mandi (Gujranwala) Grid Station by replacing and augmenting its second 160MVA Auto Transformer (T-2) with 250MVA, 220/132kV rating unit.

After the upgrade, the aforesaid 250 MVA, 220/132kV auto transformer was successfully energised. This work, as a part of World Bank funded National Transmission Modernization Project (NTMP-1), has been completed under the System Constraints Removal Program which will see an enhancement in the capacity of 220 kV Gakhar Grid Station, according to a spokesman for the NTDC. It will help to meet the increasing load demand of the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) region.

“The augmentation of new 250 MVA auto transformer will benefit the industrial, rural and urban consumers of the Gepco region and increase the system reliability,” said the spokesman in a press release issued here on Tuesday.

On the other hand, a comprehensive maintenance programme for the NTDC transmission lines and grid stations is also underway at full swing. Washing, cleaning, replacement of disc insulators and other necessary activities are being carried out by respective NTDC Asset Management formations, the spokesman said.

LESCO: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco), in collaboration with tehsildars (recovery), recovered more than Rs12m from 504 dead defaulters in districts of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara on the 156th day of its recovery campaign.

According to a Lesco spokesman, Chief Engineer Zafar Iqbal recovered outstanding dues of Rs1.9m from 90 defaulters in Northern Circle and Rs4m from 43 defaulters in Eastern Circle, respectively. Similarly, Lesco Manager (Material Disposal) Engineer Anwar Watto recovered Rs1.5m from 51 defaulters in Central Circle and Rs 0.94m from 31 defaulters in South Circle while Manager (Technical) Engineer Muhammad Farooq recovered Rs0.42m from 38 defaulters in the Nankana circle and Rs1.3m from 65 defaulters in the Sheikhupura Circle.

He said that Lesco Manager E&S (PMU) Engineer Abbas Ali recovered outstanding dues of Rs0.52m from 80 defaulters in Okara circle and Rs1.9m from 106 defaulters in Kasur circle.

Uptill now during the recovery campaign, Lesco has recovered more than Rs2.5bn from 83,394 dead defaulters in its all circles of operation.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2024