KARACHI - Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar discussed the issues of power loadshedding in Karachi in a high level meeting on K-Electric, on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Governor’s House here on Saturday.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Saturday assured the people of Karachi that there would be no “unannounced electricity load shedding” in the city from tomorrow (Sunday) after a decision to increase supply of furnace oil and gas to power utility K-Electric.
He was addressing the media alongside Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and K-Electric Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Moonis Alvi at a protest gathering by the PTI’s Karachi chapter against continued load shedding in the metropolis.
Announcing decisions made during a “high-level meeting” of government officials and the power utility earlier today, Umar said:
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shehzad Qasim and Chairman NEPRA Tauseef Farooqi attended the meeting via video link, said a spokesperson to the Sindh Governor. The meeting was also attended by National Assembly member Aftab Siddiqui, Sindh Assembly members Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Khurram Sher Zaman, Javed Hanif, Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar and K Electric officials.
The meeting discussed the matters related to unannounced loadshedding, power transmission and other issues.
Briefing the meeting on the power crisis, the K Electric officials said that 2950 megawatt (MW) electricity was being supplied to the city and at present there was a shortfall of 250 MW in the city. The Sindh Governor said that there should be one hour loadshedding on the shortfall which was being reported by the K Electric officials but the city was experiencing 6 to 7 hours load shedding. He further said that it was true that K-Electric had failed to fulfil its responsibility due to unannounced load shedding which was affecting industries and increasing unemployment.
He said that the federal government had surplus electricity and it could provide as much power as K-Electric needed but K-Electric could not add more than 720 MW from the national grid to the power system as K-Electric had to increase the capacity of its system.
Federal Minister Asad Umar said that if there was a problem of gas pressure in Bin Qasim Power Plant, then the plant should be run on furnace oil. The Federal government was providing 4500 tons of furnace oil daily and could provide another 500 tons of furnace oil, he added. He said that Bin Qasim Power plant could be run on furnace oil and by running Bin Qasim, 190 MW would be added to the system. He added that K Electric wouldl have to plan for the future, with Karachi’s pack demand at 3,500 to 3,600 MW, adding that K-Electric planned to add 2,150 MW to the system in the next three years.
The K-Electric officials said that by the summer of next year, 550 MW would be added to the system with the help of the national grid, 800 MW by April 2022 and another 800 MW in 2023.
Later, the Federal Minister Asad Umar along with Imran Ismail joined the participants of sit-in outside the K-Electric Office here and addressed to them.
Talking to media on the occasion, the Governor Sindh said that they had come here on the directives of the Prime Minister and some decisions had been taken in today’s meeting, which, would help overcome the power crisis and end unannounced loadshedding in the city from tomorrow (July 12). Speaking about the overbilling issue, he said that he would take this matter to NEPRA and audit of the K-Electric would be performed by NEPRA and the money taken in terms of overbilling would be returned.
Imran Ismail visits Kiran Foundation Lyari
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail visited Kiran Foundation Lyari and commended the Kiran Foundation’s initiatives in other areas including providing assistance to the victims of the building collapse in Lyari. On the occasion, the Governor of Sindh said that the role of welfare and social organizations in difficult situations was commendable.
He said that the role of Kiran Foundation in supporting the helpless, poor and needy people was welcoming.
Chairperson, Kiran Foundation Sabina Khatri said that they were providing all possible help to the residents of the affected building in Lyari. Later talking to media, the Sindh Governor said that Malik Riaz had promised to provide plots of 80 yards and as soon as the files of these plots were received, they would be handed over to the victims.
He said that such a good school was not available, even in private sector and the Kiran Foundation deserved appreciation in this regard.
The Governor was told that the administration of district South would handover the articles which were recovered from the debris of the collapsed building to the owners.