ISLAMABAD : ” The Federal Minister of Power on Thursday announced that in upcoming summer the government will undertake load management in the high losses areas.
“We have created a space of 3000 MW electricity in our transmission system and the system is not capable of transmitting 19000 MW electricity in summer,” the Federal Minister for Power Umer Ayub said while talking to the inauguration ceremony of the data portal for power sector.
Where there are illegal connections (Kundas) and lines losses there will be loadshedding during summer season, said the Minister.
Holding the policies of the previous government responsible for the circular debt, the Minister said that to manipulate the general elections the PML(N) government had provided electricity to the loss making feeders which has increased the losses.
In just one year of the previous government the circular debt was increased by Rs 450 billion, he added.
The Minister said that the circular debt has reached to Rs 1400 billion.
However, he said that now the circular debt has started decreasing and they have paid Rs 200 billion to Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
The Minister said that there is no surplus electricity in the country and they are working on the import of electricity from Turkmenistan.
He said that transmission lines have been improved and to meet the summer demand they have a generation plan and they have run all the power generation plants.
He further said that:”The total volume of Pakistan’s economy is $300 billion. If we include the informal economy the total volume will reach to $ 600 billion. The energy requirements of energy for such a big economy is increasing.”
He said that they are removing the inefficiencies of power sector entities and will recruit professional people in all the power sector entities.
Umer Ayub said that the distribution system of the Discos is out dated and “We require huge investment in transmission and distribution system,”.The government is working to control Kunda system and promote net metering in Discos, he said.
Work on Lahore Matiari Transmission line will start within coming few weeks, he said.
To fight the smog and improve the energy security in the country high voltage lines would be established, he added.
The Minister said during past three months by controlling theft and improvement in distribution system Rs 40 billion were saved.
