Federal Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar on Monday said that the government had no option but to shift the increase in oil prices to the consumers in the shape of high power tariff. He was talking to media during his visit to Nespak House in Lahore.
According to him, 3000 mw electricity was added to the system in two years and the government was trying to lessen the load shedding burden by managing load in winter. He criticised Dr Samar Mubarakmand for issuing future dates on power generation through coal, and added that this kind of generation would take time yet.
He said that Pakistan has approached the international arbitrator over the issue of Indian Kishan-Ganga Dam. The matter could not be sorted out through dialogue between the two countries. Pakistan would also contact the international arbitrator, if India resorted to any violation of the Indus Water Treaty, he added.
About Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) which was to be dissolved last month, he said that there are certain issues yet to be resolved, such as circular debt and adjustment of the Company's employees, and added that the matter would hopefully be settled by October this year.
The Minister said the government had taken numerous steps to overcome the power shortage, citing that 3000 mega watts had been added to the national grid in last two years. However, the demand and supply gap persists mainly because of fast increasing demand of electricity. Qamar said the government was also introducing power saver tube-wells (that consume one-third of electricity of the normal ones) and taking effective measures to control demand management.
He said the consumers' co-operation by ensuring low (necessary) use of electricity was vital to easily balance the demand and supply of electricity. Earlier, the Managing Director of Nespak, Asad I A Khan, said that Nespak has secured 110 new engineering projects in domestic and six projects abroad including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia during 2010-11.
He said total cost of the newly secured projects is Rs 546 billion. With the acquisition of 110 projects during outgoing fiscal, he said, Nespak has set another new record over 2009-10 when the company had secured 101 projects costing an aggregate of Rs 209 billion. The Minister expressed pleasure on knowing that the Nespak has exported engineering services to 36 countries of the world and it considerably reduced dependence on foreign consultants besides earning foreign exchange.
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