Pakistan may face power shortage after 2007

Pakistan is likely to face power shortage after 2007. Hence, immediate steps are required to meet the growing needs of electricity in future. The ongoing Wapda projects have capacity to generate only 450 MW, while in order to meet the growing requirements of electricity, big projects are needed.
Wapda Chairman Tariq Hamid stated this while talking to media men here on Monday.
"At present, we have sufficient power generation ability. Wapda has system capacity of generating 16,000 MW, and maximum load in peak hours is around 10,000 MW," he said.
He said that making Wapda a service-oriented utility organisation, ensuring timely issuance of industrial as well as agriculture connections and controlling unnecessary expenditures are priorities of present management of Wapda. Most of the power generating units have been converted on gas for power generation. A power station is also being made functional in Shahdara to produce electricity through gas.
He said that Wapda is likely to show Rs 14 billion surplus in its balance sheet at the end of current fiscal year. He said that Wapda has asked the government to give additional amount to Wapda, "if it wants to give any subsidy" to electricity consumers.
"Wapda has decided to take advantage of the services of engineering universities of Pakistan to provide independent meter checking facility to its consumers. Wapda is also providing necessary data to those committees which were constituted to make recommendations for new water reservoirs", he said.
He said that Wapda receivables have touched the mark of Rs 69 billion and efforts are underway to recover Wapda receivables from provinces.
Wapda would spend Rs 12.18 billion on power projects and Rs 9.51 billion on water projects during the fiscal year 2003-04.
Highlighting Wapda's performance during the first six months of current fiscal year, Tariq said that Wapda has exceeded the targets during past six months. Giving details, he said that Wapda collected Rs 111.205 billion through recovery of power bills.
The Generation Companies produced 34,549 million units of electricity, dispatched 31,583 million units to the Distribution Companies and the companies billed 26,365 units to the consumers.
The auxiliary consumption at power houses to produce the energy came down to 1.8 percent, the transmission and transformation losses to 6.8 percent and distribution losses to 15.1 percent, bringing total system losses down to 23.7 percent against the 24 percent target for the current fiscal year.
He said that Wapda managed to connect 293,672 domestic, 34,556 commercial, 2,970 industrial, 3,618 agricultural and 115 other new consumers to the Wapda system. In all, the number of new power consumers connected to Wapda system came out to be 3,34,931 during last six months.
Thus, against yearly target of 594,880 connections, 56.3 percent have already been achieved in 6 months.
Wapda added 2,033 km high-tension lines and 1,865 km low-tension lines through its distribution companies. Wapda built six new 220 KV Grid Stations, three new 132 KV Grid Stations and three new 66 KV Grid Stations, converted one 66 KV Grid Station to 132 KV Grid Station, augmented 13 132 kV Grid Stations, two 66 KV Grid Stations and carried out extension works at four 220 KV, 16 132-KV and two 66-KV Grid Stations along one 33 KV Grid Station up to December 31, 2003.
Wapda also completed 35 percent of work on 411 km long 500 KV Transmission Lines, 36 percent of 537 km long 220 KV Transmission Circuits, 47 percent of 450 km long 132 KV Transmission Lines, 62 percent of 62 km long 66 KV Circuits and 95 percent of work on 33 KV capacity 74 km Transmission Loops.
Wapda completed 447 rural electrification schemes with an expenditure of Rs 159.781 million under Tameer-e-Pakistan Programme on Prime Minister's directive and 812 schemes with an expenditure of Rs 196.019 million under the same programme with MNAs grants.
Another 1,013 schemes were completed under Khushhaal Pakistan Programme funded by Zilla Nazims. As many as 395 partially electrified villages in the past were fully electrified with an amount of Rs 500 million provided for the purpose.
As many as 2,667 villages were electrified under various programmes initiated by the Federal Government whereas in all 3,086 villages were energised under the programmes funded by the Federal and Provincial Governments during July-December 2003.
Tariq said that Wapda would spend Rs 8,280 million on power transmission projects, Rs 2,500 million on power distribution and system augmentation programme, Rs 1,000 million on rural electrification and Rs 400 million for water storage schemes.
During the period from July 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003, three units of Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project started generating power on commercial grounds. The fourth unit presently in trial operation phase will commence commercial operation by January 20, 2004, while the fifth unit will be available during July 2004, bringing the ratio of Hydel Generation in Wapda Power System to 39 percent from the existing ratio of 34 percent indicating a rise of 5 percent, by the end of the current fiscal year.
Wapda will spend Rs 7,610 million on National Water Resource and Hydel Power Development Projects Vision-2025 planned to develop 5.64 MAF water storage and produce over 218 MW Hydel power, Rs 700 million on National Drainage Programme, Rs 300 million on Salinity Control and Land Reclaiming Projects in Punjab, Rs 800 million on Salinity Control and Land Reclaiming Projects in Sindh, Rs 10 million on Safety Works at Khanpur Dam Project, Rs 48 million on general investigation schemes while Rs 42 million will be spent on Consequential Works in continuation of Indus Basin Projects.