Power load shedding in the country will continue till 2010 due to its rapidly increasing demand as well as sharp shortfall, well-informed sources in the Pakistan Electric Supply Company (Pepco) told Business Recorder.
There will be no change in the current 4-6 hours power load-shedding daily in urban and 8-10 hours in the rural areas. However constant and uninterrupted supply to the industrial units will be the top priority of Pepco instead of domestic consumers, the sources added.
They also said the country is facing 1,500 MW shortfall currently, while the total demand for electricity stands at 11,700 MW against the present availability of 10,200 MW. The sources said that demand was increasing 12 percent annually against its zero percent generation.
Sources said that Pepco was getting 2,400 MW from hydropower projects against the capacity of 6,400 MW because of severe shortage of water in the dams. At present, Pepco is receiving 3,000 MW from the Independent Power Producers (IPPs), they added.
The water situation in the dams as well as in the canals would improve after the snow starts melting, which would help get more power generation in the hydro sector. Sources said that basic reason of constant load shedding in the country was that the government could not timely execute the power projects.
The caretaker government took the initiative to execute new power generation projects like Chichoki Malian Power Project having capacity of 450 MW and Nandipur 450 MW, which would be accomplished in 2010, the sources added.
High officials, working on the Chichoki Malian and Nandipur power projects, said: "There will be some delay in the completion of these projects because unsatisfactory law and order situation in the country." They also said since foreign engineers were working on these projects, therefore, due to the security threats to their lives, the development work had been stopped many a time in the past.
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