Engineers Study Forum (ESF), an independent think-tank in engineering technology and national economy, has proposed short-term and long-term measures to overcome the ongoing power load shedding crisis of Wapda and KESC.
In the wake of the ongoing load shedding crisis, which is likely to intensify in future, ESF president Mian Fazal Ahmed has proposed some measures, which he said, could help Wapda/KESC to mitigate the sufferings of consumers and the loss of industrial and agricultural production.
Regarding short-term measures, he said that Wapda has recently taken some encouraging steps to enhance power generations capacitates, but the transmission and distribution network is overloaded and is forcing mass load shedding.
The overloaded grid stations equipment is forcing power cuts, should be monitored by their thermal capacity which can be enhanced through external counting arrangements, he proposed.
Moreover, he added that overloading of equipment could be cut down by use of capacitor banks by cutting down the reactive power losses. This can relive the over loaded equipment substantially and avert the forced power outages, he maintained.
About long-term solutions, ESF president says that the power transmission and distribution systems need to be modernised and latest technologies available world-wide needed to be introduced like GSM technologies.
He also stressed the need for strengthening the load forecasting system to anticipate load growth and ensure timely action to avoid overloading of equipment and power shortages.
According to him, private public partnership should also be developed to ensure timely execution of power generations, transmission and distribution projects.
He said that Private Power Infrastructure Board of Federal Government should rationalise and revise policy to ensure timely approval of power schemes.
He also called for making the role of Nepra more effective in solving power crisis.