Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) has proposed the federal government to enforce the plan of shops closure at 8 PM from April 1, due to rising power shortfall, which is expected to reach 6000 MW in the peak summer season, Business Recorder has learnt.
The power shortfall on Wednesday stood at 4680 MW leading to 18-hours load shedding across the country. But, Pepco authorities have claimed that load shedding duration ranged between 6 to 9 hours. The total power generation was 10,500 MW against the demand of 15180 MW leaving a shortfall of 4680 MW. According to Pepco, the country may save 500 MW by implementing the plan of closing shops at 8 PM.
The long hours load shedding is creating panic among the masses, as angry mob took to streets in Mirpur Azad Kashmir to protest long unscheduled load shedding and marched to Mangla dam. The demonstrators maintained that Mangla dam was constructed on their lands but they were being deprived of electricity.
Circular debt is believed to be the main reason causing problems in fuel and power supply. Despite issuing Terms Financing Certificates (TFCs) worth billion of rupees, government seems unable to address the issue of circular debt. According to sources, receivables of major state run fuel supplier Pakistan State Oil (PSO) against its clients accumulated to Rs 107.66 billion on Wednesday.
PSO is to receive Rs 41.05 billion from Wapda, Rs 38.3 billion from HUBCO, Rs 18.2 billion from KAPCO, Rs 1.32 billion from PIA and Rs 1.3 billion from Power Holding Co PSO is to recover dues worth Rs 1.382 billion on accounted of price differential claims (PDC) on HSD, Rs 2.549 billion PDC on imported motor gasoline and Rs 2.227 billion PDC under gas load management plan (KESC).
On other hand, PSO is to pay Rs 104.048 billion to local oil refineries and international fuel suppliers on account of fuel supply. The PSO's payables to local refineries are; Parco at Rs 30.6 billion, PRL at Rs 12.11 billion, NRL at Rs 8.66 billion, ARL at Rs 16.68 billion and Bosicor at Rs 4.910 billion. PSO is to clear the Rs 12.32 billion dues of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and Rs 18.17 billion payment on account of L/Cs for oil import.
PSO authorities are of the view that despite financial crunch, it was providing fuel supply to power producers, as it supplied total of 33,388 tons of furnace oil to them including Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) on March 23. Wapda was provided 12,605 tons furnace oil, which was the maximum amount supplied to a single company yesterday. Hub Power received 7000 tons, Kapco 5191 tons, US company AES 2322 tons. KESC received 2000 tons fuel for power generation.
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