The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has invited some German companies to carry out study on setting up nuclear power plant in the metropolis. Nuclear power generation is a viable option that can help in catering to the future power demand of the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of KESC, Frank Scherschmidt, in an exclusive interview with Business Recorder said, "It can be too expansive and take a long in the planning. It may even be politically not acceptable. But we have to sit on it and discuss it. If there is any possibility, we will discuss it."
He said: "This (nuclear power generation) is essential due to climatic change in the world as carbon dioxide is affecting seriously, and we have started influencing our (world) climate."
He said: "A nuclear power station is costly: it is four times costlier than coal based power station. But in the long term it is cheaper in maintenance and production. On the other hand, the same magnitude of solar power system requires 180 square km land to generate power.
"The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) is also planning another power generation plant after 2008, for which the corporation is working. In this regard, the power utility is considering other options for power generation like coal and nuclear."
The coal at Lakra is feasible for the corporation and, keeping in view the transmission losses, the power utility may lay its own line from that power station directly to the city, he added.
"The gas-based power generation is the cheapest and cleanest, but it is limited in the country and we have to plan beyond that and consider other means."
Most of electricity generation is based on water, coal, gas and oil and when a power generator runs out of one source, it could switch over to other source. "As far as wind energy is concern, if there is no wind what a producer can do? It could not be switch over to any other means."
He said: "Wind power is not a reliable medium for any power utility. It's considered as an additional source of electricity generation, but no one can rely on it."
Frank said: "We can save primary energy (coal, gas, oil) but we cannot do it as an alternative energy."
He said that nuclear based power generation is under consideration. "But first we are considering the coal based option. The newest technology of coal based power plants reducing the CO2, perhaps gasification of the coal reduces the sulphur and so on."
He said the other solution is the coal on the coast, as coal brought from the international market and shipped to the power station.
"We are in close contact for the future planning of the metropolis. It goes to the north-east of the city. So we need energy there and when we put (install) all at the coast like Korangi and Bin Qasim power plants," he said, adding that "One cannot do anything with electricity without transmission losses."
The KESC faces transmission losses from both Jamshoro link and Hubco link. "Alone if we take up this link Hubco, we have additional power of 20MW (less power losses) instead of Jamshoro link," he said.
He said the power stations should be close to the consumers so this is all to calculate and optimise.
"We have just started internal planning for additional load. When we bring back all pending cases (load) and those producing own electricity comes to corporation, we need more power. There are lots of projects coming that also need additional electricity," he added.
"We have three different plans--long, medium and short term plans--to overcome the on-going power crisis in the city," he added.
The KESC is installing power station at Korangi of 480MW, from which the city would get 120MW in mid-April next year, while 120MW more from that same station will be add in mid-May; another 120MW in June. And the project will be completed in mid-July. The corporation would further enhance its power plant capacity by 270MW later with additional gas based generators on the same system to use same gas.
The corporation would buy power from other producers like Kannup that provide additional 45MW; DHA's water-cum-power plant 80MW; and 11MW. By July 2007, about 605MW additional electricity will be added in the KESC supply system, he added.
Presently, the power demand is divided into many parts such as 1000MW consumed by the industry, 700MW by residential consumers, 400MW by commercial, 100MW by agriculture. On pending load side, 500MW produce by industry to meet their demands, 40MW is pending load to KESC while 200MW is the power shortage of the city which would be doubled (400MW) by 2007.
Frank said KESC is going to introduce merit and incentive based package to its employees soon to increase efficiency of power utility, but could not give the exact time for that package.
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