Electricity Crisis in Pakistan

ELECTRICITY CRISIS IN PAKISTAN
  

“if I had not bowed to American demands, they threatened to send us back to stone age”, President Musharaf  gave this logic for his unconditional support to America in her war against terror. But the fact is that there is no need for any external force to send us to dark ages because we, ourselves, are enough to do so.

We are as a nation now living in dark ages due to electricity crisis in our country, courtesy our planers, leaders. Electricity crisis or Load Shedding has now become an essential part of our daily life; no matter it is winter when it is believed that electricity consumption is far less than in summer. What are the reasons behind? Is there a genuine gap between our capacity to generate electricity and its demand or there is some sort of external conspiracy to shatter our economy? I tried to evaluate. Now you all be the judge to discern the myth behind this electricity crisis in Pakistan.           

Electricity produced in Pakistan is from three main sources.

1. Hydropower 
2. Thermal (Gas/Steam/Furnace Oil)
3. Nuclear

There are four major power producers in country which include

Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA),

Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC),

Independent Power Producers (IPPs)

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).

Below is the break-up of the installed capacity of each of these power producers (as of June-2008).

1. WAPDA

a. WAPDA Hydropower

  Terbela                                                            3478  MW   
  Mangla                                                            1000  MW   
  Ghazi-Brotha                                                   1450  MW     
  Warsak                                                              243  MW   
  Chashma                                                           184  MW   
  Dargai                                                                 20  MW   
  Rasul                                                                   22  MW   
  Shadi-Waal                                                          18  MW   
  NandiPur                                                              14  MW   
  Kurram Garhi                                                         4  MW   
  Renala                                                                   1  MW
  Chitral                                                                    1  MW   
  Jagran (AK)                                                         30  MW 
  Total HydroPower                                ==>       6461 MW

b. WAPDA Thermal 
  Gas Turbine Power Station, Shadra                         59 MW   
  Steam Power Station, Faisalabad                             132  MW   
  Gas Turbine Power Station, Faisalabad                    244  MW   
  Gas Power Station, Multan                                        195  MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Muzaffargarh                      1350 MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Guddu                                1655  MW   
  Gas Turbine Power Station, Kotri                               174  MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Jamshoro                             850  MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Larkana                                150  MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Quetta                                    35  MW     
  Gas Turbine Power Station, Panjgur                            39  MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Pasni                                      17  MW   
  Total Thermal                                     ==>               4811  MW

WAPDA's Total Hydal + Thermal capacity is  ==>      11272 MW

2. Karachi Electric Supply Company 
  Thermal Power Station, Korengi                                 316  MW   
  Gas Turbine Power Station, Korengi                            80  MW   
  Gas Turbine Power Station, SITE                              100  MW   
  Thermal Power Station, Bin Qasim                          1260  MW 
  Total (KESC)                                        ==>             1756  MW


3. Independent Power Producers (IPPs) 
    Hub Power Project                                                         1292 MW   
AES Lalpir Ltd, Mahmood Kot MuzaffarGarh                  362 MW   
AES Pak Gen, Mahmood Kot MuzaffarGarh                   365 MW   
Altern Energy Ltd, Attock                                                  29 MW   
Fauji KabirWala Power Company, Khanewal                    157 MW   
Gul Ahmad Energy Ltd, Korengi                                      136 MW   
Habibullah Coastal Power Ltd                                         140 MW   
Japan Power Generation, Lahore                                    120 MW   
Koh-e-Noor Energy Ltd, Lahore                                      131 MW   
Liberty Power Limited, Ghotki                                         232 MW   
Rousch Power, Khaniwal                                                412 MW     
Saba Power Company, Sheikhpura                                 114 MW   
Southern Electric Power Company Ltd, Raiwind                135 MW   
Tapal Energy Limited, Karachi                                       126 MW   
Uch Power Ltd, Dera Murad Jamali, Nasirabad                 586 MW   
Attock Gen Ltd, Morgah Rawalpindi                                 165 MW   

Atlas Power, Sheikhpura                                                225 MW      
Kot Addu Power Company Limited (Privitized)                1638 MW 
Total (IPPs)                                              ===>              6365 MW

4. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission 
KANUPP                                                                     137 MW   
CHASNUPP-1                                                             325 MW 
Total (Nuclear)                                          ===>        462  MW 
  
Hydro Electricity generated by WAPDA varies between two extremities i.e. between minimum of 2414 MW and maximum of 6761 MW depending upon the river flow through the whole year.

Total Power Generation Capacity of Pakistan (including all sources) is 19855 MW and the electricity demand is 14500 MW and PEPCO is merely generating 10000 MW.

So it is obvious that these 15-20 hrs power shutdowns in most parts of the country are not because of the lack of generation capacity but some other mystery is behind for which the nation has not been taken into confidence.

I don’t doubt the loyalty or sincerity of our leaders, technocrats then why nation is not being provided with such a basic necessity, industry almost crippled unemployment on rise.

My apprehension is this could be IMF / World Bank policies imposed on our nation as we are depending upon their funding. The reason backing my this argument is that Power Generation Companies are not buying Furnace Oil from PSO by saying they don’t have money to do that but we all are paying for Electricity that is generated from Furnace Oil and therefore the top refineries like PRL are operating at 40% capacities.

IMF / World bank has imposed restriction to import less crude oil to reduce deficit. They have right to do so because we are borrowing huge money from them and they have to secure the return of their loans as done by every money lender. But the dilemma is that where that borrowed money is being spent. If we are having genuine crisis in generating power according to our need then have we invested borrowed money in enhancing our power generating capacity during last six or seven years of this crisis. This justifies my logic that there is no problem in our capacity to generate electricity; it is due to imposed policies of our money lenders.
this is the time now for our leaders and policy makers to wake up and think for poor nation, the nation who always stand behind its leaders in the time of crisis and give sacrifice. Electricity is now @ Rs. 11 per unit and I believe it will increase after every two months as directed by money lenders. Why don’t our rulers accept offers from China or Iran who are willing to provide us electricity at cheap rates?

WE WANT ELECTRICITY IN PAKISTAN.