Power outages to reduce in next 10 days: Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Power Engineer Khurram Dastagir on Friday expressed the confidence that there would be visible reduction in power loadshedding during the next 10 days after increased fuel supply and plants' maintenance.

Addressing a maiden presser along with Minister for State Hashim Notezai here, the minister said, "The power plants will resume getting RLNG supply from May 1 while the required quantity of furnace oil will also be available from May 2." He said lack of fuel supply and closure of power plants for maintenance were the main reasons of power loadshedding across the country. Several power plants with accumulative capacities of 5,739MW were closed due to shortage of fuel supply, including RLNG, coal and furnace oil, while some plants having 2,156MW capacity were shut down for routine and technical maintenance, he said.

He said from May 1, situation would gradually improve as 300MW Engro Power Plant and Port Qasim Power Plant would come into the system. He said the past government did not arrange fuel for the power plants, causing power outages.

The minister said the incumbent government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is making all-out efforts to curtail the menace of loadshedding. Teams have already been constituted in all power distribution companies (DISCOs) for promptly redressing the complaints during Eid, he added. He said leaves of staff have already been canceled to cope with any untoward situation.

Meanwhile, the power plants are still not being provided the required amount of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Furnace Oil, causing a national shortfall of electricity. All urban centers, such as Karachi, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot have been severely hit with up to 8 hours of loadshedding and rural areas with 10 hours. Power shortfall has crossed 8,500MW due to technical problems and shortage of fuel in the power plants all across the country.The hydropower generation is also facing downfall due to low level of water in the dams around the country, which have added to the electricity shortfall.

The sources revealed that the total production of electricity was at 18,700MW whereas the demand of electricity has reached 27,200MW.The loadshedding has continued to increase the miseries of the public, causing difficulties to perform daily chores, especially during Sehri and Iftar times.--