FOR over a decade, the electricity crisis across the country has gone from bad to worse. The overall performance of the power sector has been nose-diving, and so is the economy as the two are inter-related. Power tariffs have skyrocketed. They are being increased regularly and there are no signs of getting affordable electricity in the near future.

Misgovernance, maladministration, unsound planning, lack of proper system operation and maintenance, inefficien-cies, absence of accountabi-lity and professionalism, and unchecked corruption are some of the hallmarks of the national power sector. Is it any wonder, then, that the crisis has no end in sight?

The National Electric Power Regu- latory Authority (Nepra) seems to have finally realised that the power distribu- tion companies, or Discos, need a complete overhaul along with other organisations in the sector. Surprisingly, it took Nepra 10 years or more to learn this evident reality. Suffice it to say that Nepra is equally responsible for the dismal performance of the power sector, and it is being used only as the proverbial rubber stamp.

Administrative and financial audits of various power companies have never been carried out by an independent external authority. Any financial figures put up by the power companies are accepted without a proper scrutiny of their accuracy or authenticity. Similarly, no technical audit is performed on a regular basis. The results are obvious in the form of poor power delivery at exorbitant tariffs. The imposition of even higher rates with retrospective effect only acts as a bombshell on poor, hapless consu- mers who are nothing but hostages in the iron grip of the relevant authorities.

The country is suffering from excess power generation, but is still adding further projects that are widening the gap between generation and demand. As planned, the power generation capacity would exceed further by 2030, while load demand would be stagnant. As a result, tariffs would increase instead of decreasing which will further hurt the national economy besides making consumers’ lives more miserable.

The emphasis should be on increasing the power demand, not the generation, but no action has been planned in this critical regard. We should create greater load demand around the year, and this can only be done by setting up industries that require power supply throughout the year. In simple terms what we need is rapid industrialisation. Otherwise, debts and power tariffs would keep increasing along with more and more surplus energy that will push the country possibly towards bankruptcy.

Let us face the gravity of the situation and not live in a fool’s paradise. There is loadshedding despite there being surplus power. No country can take off without reliable and affordable electrical power. The future of Pakistan’s power sector looks bleak. I hope the author-ities realise it before it gets too late.

Engr Riaz Bhutta
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024