KARACHI, Feb 22: The Karachi Electric Supply Company has warned industrial and domestic consumers of worst power breakdowns in summer.
In case the power company failed to get 700MW supply from the Water and Power Development Authority, the power crisis would be severe this summer, KESC chief executive officer Syed Mohammad Amjad cautioned the industrialists and traders in a meeting recently.
The KESC has already commenced load-shedding from February due to shortage of 200MW supply from Wapda.
An office-bearer of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), who asked not to be named, said that the KESC chief had actually hinted that the power crisis would be the same this year as of last year owing to supply cut from Wapda.
He said that the KESC had been asked to fix the timing of load-shedding as being done in Punjab. Usually, power goes off at the scheduled time but is not restored at the announced timing.
On this issue, the KESC boss was of the view that the consumers usually leave the switches of all the electrical and electronic appliances open after power is off. As soon as the supply is restored, the electrical gadgets start operating simultaneously, thus resulting in tripping of the system and causing technical faults.
He said the KCCI had urged the KESC to educate the consumers on the problem through a media campaign.
The traders also asked the KESC to carryout load-shedding area-wise instead of shutting down the entire locality or entire industrial areas.
Chairman Alliance of Market Association (AMA) Atiq Mir quoted the KESC CEO as saying said that after the privatisation, the KESC is suffering from negligence by the government. He asked the people from all walks of life to understand their national responsibility in handling the power crisis.
The industrial sector consumes 40 per cent of power out of total supply, which comes to around 600MW, while the share of street lights account for 25MW. The power load of 700MW will increase in this summer as soon as people switch on the air-conditioners and fans.
The KESC CEO said that the issuance of load-shedding schedule as per Punjab pattern was possible but the majority of cases of power breakdowns were caused by technical reasons, which the management has tried to control.
Syed Amjad said that after completion of under-repair units there will be some relief to the consumers. Currently, there is a supply load of 2,600MW on 52 grid stations, while 780 MW supply will be available in the next seven to 13 months after the completion of nine more grid stations.
As compared to last year, there will be an additional supply of total 310 MW following 160MW supply from the two units, which will be completed in March and July this year, 80MW from DHA Cojin and 60MW from the plants which had been repaired. There has been a decline in line losses to 31.4 per cent as compared to 34.9 per cent earlier.
A joint advisory committee comprising businessmen and KESC officials has been formed in the meeting, which will be headed by Zubair Motiwala. The committee will prepare suggestions to handle the power crisis.
The meeting was attended among others by KCCI president Shamim Ahmed Shamsi and leader of Businessmen Group, Siraj Kassam Teli.
Atiq Mir said that the both the KESC and Wapda had not been allowed to increase the power generation on their own from 1994 till now. In 1994, there were one million KESC consumers as compared to the present over 2.1 million. Rather, the KESC is being asked to get the power from other sources.
He said some years back the KESC used to supply power to Wapda and now the situation has reversed.
