Why Power Generation - Pakistan?

For Pakistan, as for any other developing country, the optimum development of the power generation resources is imperative for progress. Pakistan's economy witnessed a visible GDP growth, to 8.4 percent in 2004-05 and 6.6 percent in 2005-06.
The consumption pattern indicates that, on an average, the household sector has been the largest consumer of electricity 44.3 percent, followed by industrial sector 29.1 percent, agriculture 12.8 percent and other government sector 7.3 percent, commercial 5.8 percent and streetlights 0.6 percent.
The generation, transmission, distribution and retail supply of electricity in Pakistan presently undertaken by two vertically integrated public sector utilities, WAPDA and KESC with significant contribution to generation from various private Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Currently, there 16 IPPs in the country. The PPIB expects thermal power generation capacity addition of about 2,000 MW by 2008 and a total of about 4,900 MW by 2009.
The above data indicates our available resources, and we have to work within our resource constraints to acquire cheap, abundant and an environment-friendly source of energy.
The resources are evidently inadequate to cater to Pakistan's profile as a developing country on the road to rapid economic growth. The shortfall is alarming as it looms up as a hurdle to the planning for further development projects in the public as well as private sector. And it affects all segments of the population across the board, for the domestic as well as commercial and industrials all suffer the effects of a short fall in energy generation.
This needs to be discussed by all the stake-holders on an urgent basis. It is with this aim in mind that that Energy Update magazine has tried to make its humble contribution by organising the first ever Conference on Power Generation. When we started out on our journey to become a publication dedicated to the energy sector in Pakistan, we had set before ourselves a high aim of becoming the voice of the energy industry.
Not yet one year into publication, and we have expanded our horizon by hosting conferences tackling key industry issues. Our first attempt was the Conference on Liquified Petroleum Gas, which elicited vast support within the LPG fraternity, and also found acknowledgement at an international level through the participation of the Managing Director of World LP Gas Association.
Now, Energy Update magazine in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Power, Engineering Development Board, Alternate Energy Development Board, PPIB and NEPRA attempts to bring on one platform all industry stakeholders who can interact with each other to assess the challenges of the power generation field and propose workable solutions.
As a publication, Energy Update will keep trying to play a positive role as a stakeholder that has the good of the energy industry at its heart. There is a very clear gap between supply and gap, which despite our best efforts, is yet to be bridged, and I hope that this PowerGen Con will throw up valuable suggestion from the experts as to how best to utilise the available resources.