KESC modernising energy resources

KARACHI - The KESC has initiated new tactics, under the garb of modernising energy resources by undergoing a strong maintenance strategy. The target areas of maintenance are the localities of PECHS Block 2 and Korangi. This shutdown usually starts at 10:00am in the morning and ends at 7:00pm in the evening. The Nation has learnt that the KESC is practicing the strategy for the last many days to save furnace oil, and when the power supply resume to these areas they again start rotational load-shedding. The grid stations they shutdown on Sunday, affected the locality of PECHS Block 2 and now the target is Korangi area where maintenance work is being done for 10 to 15 times a month. Hence, where the maintenance work is going on there is no further respite from load-shedding schedule for the poor dwellers of the locality. The shortage of power supply has been invigorated due to the off-line of the companys power plants, while it is also not taking power from IPPs, and furthermore the power plants are running in their half capacity. The sad part of the story is that the KESC never claims to have shortfall of more than 200MWs, and they always say that the IPPs are providing power to them on par routine. It is pertinent to mention here that it has been more than one month that the KESC is running its plants in their half capacity, or they usually keen to run those plants on gas in order to save furnace oil, despite the fact that all the units of Bin Qasim Power Plant are designed to run both on gas and furnace oil. More interestingly, during the meeting with Federal Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the KESC said that it had been putting all emphasis upon adding more coal-fired power plants to its network in order to fill the gap between demand and supply of electricity. The long-term plan was spread over a period of four years, while the medium and short-term plans would complete in much less time, they added.