ISLAMABAD: As the people have begun enduring long durations of electricity loadshedding with the advent of summer, the Supreme Court asked the power generation units on Saturday to ensure maximum production for smooth supply to all categories of consumers.

Taking suo motu notice of increasing loadshedding, a bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked the power generation companies to facilitate all categories of consumers during the season.

Advocate Syed Moazzam Ali Rizvi, representing the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) informed the court that the authority was responsible for generating hydroelectricity, which was 32 per cent of the total production. Wapda was producing about 60 per cent of its capacity for a variety of reasons, including reduced water flows since the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), which managed water flow from the dams, was not allowing sufficient flow to achieve its target, the counsel said.

The total shortfall of electricity is about 4,000MW out of total demand of 13,800MW.

Against this backdrop, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance, Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry, had announced the other day the government’s intention of injecting Rs45 billion and 150 million cubic feet of natural gas a day into the power sector to increase electricity generation by about 3,500MW.

The court has ordered Wapda’s counsel to present a comprehensive report by May 2.

It ordered Wapda and other departments concerned to submit combined figures of generation by hydel units, generation companies, independent power producers and rental power plants for the past six months.

A separate report comprising the figures since April 1 was also sought.

The court decided to issue notices to the Pakistan Electric Power Company, National Transmission and Dispatch Company and Irsa through their chairmen to file replies along with the facts, figures and reasons for the shortage of electricity.

It announced that it would welcome voluntary opinion of any expert for generating electricity from all the available sources and its distribution.