KARACHI, May 17: Residents of the city will have to suffer load-shedding for the next four to five years as the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation is unable to meet the demand and supply gap in the years to come.

This piece of news was broken by the Chief Executive of the KESC, Lt-Gen (R) Syed Mohammad Amjad, to reporters after his meeting with Karachi nazim Mustafa Kamal on Thursday.

He added that the duration of load-shedding would be gradually decreased.

Mr Amjad explained that while several measures had been taken by the power utility to overcome the current crisis, a 9.5 per cent increase of annual electricity demand would not allow the KESC to put an end to load-shedding any time soon.

Karachi is in the throes of one of the worst power crises these days.

The KESC chief said the city’s electricity demand – currently around 3,000 megawatts – would have doubled by 2016.

He said the Water and Power Development Authority supplied 700 megawatts to the KESC on a regular basis, adding that in difficult times, the supply rose to 850 megawatts.

Highlighting the measures being taken by the power utility to minimize the people’s suffering due to the power crisis, he said that a new power plant in the city would start functioning by March next year to supply additional 190 megawatts. He added that the KESC’s Bin Qasim Thermal Power Plant would start generating additional 190 megawatts by the end of the current month.

He said the KESC would invite independent power producers.

He said the tendering process for the establishment of a 560-megawatt power plant at Bin Qasim had started.