Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has held Pakistan Railways responsible for slow supply of furnace oil to Wapda thermal power stations, resulting in lower power generation, sources in the Petroleum Ministry told Business Recorder here on Thursday.
The source said the purchase orders for supply of 35,000 tons of furnace oil to Genco-III power stations were placed on M/s PSO through rail during second fortnight of December 2008 but dispatches are very slow. The country is facing up to 4000 MW electricity shortage and some of the rural areas are being supplied power only for two in 24 hours.
This situation has created law and order situation in several parts of the country and the police have lathi-charged protesters in several cities. Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) contacted PSO and asked for an enhancement of the volume of daily dispatches and to supply additional quantities by rail to Genco-III power stations keeping in view the lean furnace oil stocks.
In response, PSO informed that slow dispatches against the ordered quantities were due to poor availability of Railway tank wagons and the additional quantity cannot be offered through rail because of all these constraints. Pepco is of the view that due to slow movement of rail specials, oil stocks at SPS Faisalabad have dried up and at present 100 MW capacity power plant is being operated on restricted load of 30 MW only.
The sources said Pepco was facing countrywide criticism due to severe shortage of electricity. However, the company has warned PSO that water releases from Tarbela and Mangla dams were at their minimum because of annual canal closures, which has resulted in marginal generation of electricity from Wapda hydel generation systems; dependence on thermal power plants has, therefore, increased.
"The country is facing acute shortage of electricity and load restriction from thermal power plants due to shortage or non-availability of furnace oil which is not affordable," Pepco stated in a letter to Pakistan Railways. The company has intimated to the government that no provision was available at SPS Faisalabad and NGPS Multan to decant the furnace oil supplies through road tankers and the said power stations totally depend on supplies by rail.
The sources clarified that limited decantation facility for road tankers is available at TPS Muzaffargarh which results in long queues of road tankers at Muzaffargarh-Kot Addu road waiting for decantation whenever orders are placed on Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for supply of bulk quantities of furnace oil through road.
Keeping in view the law and order situation in the country, DPO Muzaffargarh has asked Chief Executive Officer - Genco III TPS Muzaffargarh to avoid accumulation of road tankers in and around the TPS Muzaffargarh premises so that sabotage activity can be better averted, the sources maintained.
Pepco has requested Pakistan Railways that maximum efforts must be made to provide desired number of tank wagons for supply of furnace oil to Genco-III power stations so that dispatches against the ordered quantities are completed by M/s PSO during the stipulated period.
Moreover, Pakistan Railways has also been requested that additional furnace oil carrying tank wagons be augmented in the Railways system so that Pakistan Railways capability to transport the product is increased and furnace oil requirement of Genco-III power plants is 100 percent fulfilled through rail supplies.