KESC has stated that the current gas supply by SSGC to the generation plants of the utility has fallen to an abysmal level of 115mmcfd, which is a mere 40 percent of the required and approved quota of 276mmcfd.
At the current unstable level of the gas supply, approximately 600MW of KESC's generation capability is lying idle for the mere want of gas, this also includes the 350MW of production ability of KESC's new and state of the art, Bin Qasim II Power Plant, that has been set up with a massive investment of $450 million, and will be able to generate 560MW by the end of 1st Quarter next year.
KESC itself, being a private sector entity is fully aware of the importance and the role of the industrial sector, cognisant of which it is the current management of KESC that had declared all the industrial zones of Karachi to be exempted from load shedding; a fact which has often been lauded by the key industrial and business figures of the city. However with the current and unilateral action of SSGC to reduce the gas supply to KESC, it has as of late become impossible to maintain the exemption of the industrial zones across the city and due to the greatly hampered power generation ability the industrial zones are being shed up to 12 hours. All the same KESC has reiterated the fact that with the improvement in the gas supply to even 250mmcfd, the loadshedding in the residential and commercial centres would be reduced immediately and all the industrial zones of city would once again be extended an exemption from power shedding.
The current power crisis in the city brought about by the unexplainable actions of SSGC, where the gas supply to KESC has been drastically reduced, has a ripple effect which the government should not be ignoring, whereby it is only KESC that has been subjected to the cut in gas supply, while all other gas consuming sectors are only asked for a 'voluntary reduction'. Another flag of caution has been raised, vis a vis the letter written by the KESC to KWSB, sharing with the entity that despite their Rs 15.3 billion default they have been enjoying uninterrupted power supply mainly to facilitate the 20 million residents of Karachi, but given the circumstances where there is no support from SSGC in terms of gas supply, it will not be possible to extend uninterrupted power supply to KWSB and they would have to curtail their power consumption by 50 percent or face loadshedding at their installations.
KESC has made multiple requests to the Federal Government to urgently look into the impending and snowballing power crisis, the only solution to which is the adequate provision of gas to the power utility serving the needs of the 20 million dwellers of the metropolitan. KESC is also in contact with the Minister of Petroleum, Minister of Water & Power and the Governor Sindh and is hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon in the larger public interest.-PR
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