ISLAMABAD - National Electrical Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has warned the government that loadshedding won’t be eliminated in 2018 and people will have to wait till 2019 for the complete elimination of loadshedding.

According to NEPRA’s State of Industry Report 2016, in the upcoming year of 2018, the menace of loadshedding won’t come to an end.

As stated in the report, in 2017, the power shortfall would be 3710 MWs (MW), and in 2018 it will be 500 MW. However, according to the report, in 2019, the country will have a power surplus of 224 MW, 1334 MWs in 2020, and in 2021 the country will have a power surplus of 4694 MWs.

As for demand during peak hours, in 2017, the peak hour power demand is 23,816 MW, in 2018 demand during peak hours will be 25,140 MW, in 2019 it will be 26,439 MW, in 2020 it will be 27725 MW, and in 2021 it will be 29082 MW.

As for power supply, in 2017 it will be 20106 MW, in 2018 it will be 24640 MW, in 2019 it will be 26663 MW, in 2020 it will be 29059 MW, and in 2021, power supply will be 33,776 MW. The report also stated that in 2017, power generation capacity would be 24,643 MW and in 2021 it will be 41,950 MW.

According to NEPRA s report, in the upcoming year, loadshedding will be eliminated from Karachi and in three years K Electric will have a power surplus of 1832 MWs. In 2017, the power demand in Karachi is 231 MWs more than supply. Although the loadshedding occurring in the city says otherwise.

Moreover, this year, supply of electrical power by K electric is 3128 MWs and in peak hours the power demand is 3359 MWs. In 2020, K Electric’s demand will rise to 3894 MWs while K Electric s supply will rise to 5726 MWs.

According to the report, in 2018, K-Electric will have a power surplus of 138 MWs, in 2019 447 MWs, and in 2020, it will have a power surplus of 1832 MWs. The report also revealed that between 2010 and 2015, K-electric undertook no major investment.

In the five years, K-electric has only added 3 kilometres of overhead transmission wires. It has added a 220 KV underground line, and 132 KV and 660KV voltage level systems. In the last five years, K-electric has restored 4 grid stations. According to the report, K-electric will till 2027 make an investment of 27 billion rupees.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Ministry of Water and Power on Friday said that the Ministry is making all out efforts to bring in sustainable reforms in the power sector and is open to positive suggestions. Commenting on National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) State of Industry Report 2016, the spokesman said, “The Ministry is examining the report in detail and will issue its point of view shortly.”

He said, “Since the report is not issued in its due time and the power sector achieved many milestones in the meanwhile, therefore the report’s data needs critical analysis.”