LAHORE  -   The industry in Punjab has been exposed to a severe loadshedding of electricity over the last 48 hours, as the power supply has been suspended to the production units attached with the independent feeders. As a result, production activities have been terminated and the workers are sitting idle outside the mills.

The National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) has said that badly-affected power system by dense fog is being normalized gradually. The spokesperson of NTDC said that restoration work on 500 kV New Lahore-Balloki cckt is in progress which will take some time.

While updating about the generation units, he said that Nishat Power 185 MW, Nishat Chunian 195 MW and KEL 124 MW are back on national grid, whereas, Saif Power 215 MW and Orient Power 200 MW have also started power generation. Furthermore, NTDC has managed to restore Balloki-New Lahore cckt and given demand to the management of Balloki Power House to bring the generation on bar. The NTDC engineers are also helping GENCO-II for replacement of transmission line equipment in switchyard of 747 MW Guddu Power House and also been given demand to generate 747MW since the transmission lines have been restored.

All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Punjab Chairman Adil Bashir has urged the Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan to intervene and issue directions to the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) and the Chief Executives of distribution companies (DISCOs) for uninterrupted power supply on independent feeders of the exporting industry. He pointed out with grave concern that the utility agencies are not catching up the exporting industry’s pace, as the supply of electricity has been suspended to the production units soon after their shifting to independent feeders, marked with zero line losses and no theft.

Unfortunately, the exporting industry has once again been dragged to the problem of energy availability while the prime minister has resolved the issue of energy affordability, he lamented.

He apprehended that the exporting industry would not be able to boost exports in case the utility agencies failed to cooperate with its efforts of doubling exports and bring down the trade gap. Already, he added, a good number of mills have been succumbed to the non-availability of power supply and chances of their revival is next to impossible.

He urged the Federal Minister for Power to respond to an emergency like situation and issue directions to NTDC for smooth supply of electricity to the exporting industry without any further delay.