Pepco facing fuel shortage of 10,000 tonnes a day

Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) is under enormous miseries, facing a shortage of 10,000 tones a day supply of fuel oil to its power producing units as the consignments of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) remained stuck up at the port.
The situation is accordingly resulting into a power shortage of about 600 MW in the system and no turn around in the situation is possible before Monday, February 2, 2009 when the PSO would get its consignments cleared at the port in Karachi.
Meanwhile, Pepco system was facing high pressure during peak hours hitting domestic consumers directly following sudden cut in fuel oil supply to the power producing company. In general, the fuel oil consumption of power producing units, is 30,000 tones a day. The actual receipt ranges between 22,000-24,000 tones a day and rest of the requirement is fulfilled by the reserves. There is a shortage of 10,000 tones a day that has added pressure on distribution network.
Pepco officials informed Business Recorder that supply to industrial sectors is uninterrupted while the burden of power shortage is shifted to the domestic consumers. ''This situation is resulting into forced closures in some areas of the country and the domestic consumers are passing through the ordeal of prolonged outages,'' they added. It may also be noted that Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has not extended any intimation of canal resumption to Pepco and the situation is causing a dent in hydel generation in the country.
Further, Pepco officials told that water release from Mangla dam has come to zero level while release from the Tarbela is 15,000 cusecs at present. It is also being hoped in Pepco that the canals would resume water flows by early February though Irsa has not given such indication yet.
Meanwhile, 300 MW power generation from the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASHNUP) is being ensured by the concerned authorities. Earlier, it was closed for maintenance amid canal closures that added extra pressure on Pepco as well as on the Water and Power ministry, resulting into public riots in Faisalabad. According to Pepco officials, power supply to the industrial sector would further be streamlined with the resumption of canals and reduction in cuts in power supply to the domestic consumers.