Pakistan Electric Power Company (Private) Limited (Pepco), has been entrusted the task of managing the transition to a commercially viable and productive corporate entity. It is a mammoth task and progress in the initial months was rather slow, but one should keep in mind that responsibility is enormous and transition is a long drawn process.
Before going into further details of the restructuring programme, it is necessary to understand the shift in the GoP policy. The GoP, in line with its Strategic Plan of 1992 approved by the cabinet committee, had decided to restructure the entire power sector in the country. This included:
-- De-regulation of power sector
-- Promotion of IPPs
-- Restructuring of Wapda
-- Privatisation of selected corporate entities
Pepco has prepared the conceptual framework and is following a comprehensive strategy whereby Wapda's vertical-monolithic Power Wing has been restructured into 12 distinct autonomous entities under Companies Ordinance, 1984. These are: three generation, one transmission and eight distribution corporate entities.
The restructuring programme of Wapda's Power Wing is based on the new strategic policies of the GoP and endorsed and supported by the donor institutions. The aim of this transition is to install corporate and business culture through adopting good business practices, enhancing productivity and efficiency, including customer orientation and service culture, improving quality of services setting performance targets, reducing costs, theft and wastage.
This will be based on extensive use of information technology, management information systems, monitoring and prudent decision making. It has been decided that some of the functions currently being performed by Wapda are of national importance and will, therefore, continue to remain with Wapda/GoP in the largest interest of the country.
THESE ARE:
-- Hydel development
-- Hydel operations
-- Power system planning
-- Backbone transmission system
Pepco is the controlling body of a network of nine distribution companies, two generation companies and a national transmission and dispatch company. Pepco Management has adopted a visionary approach to streamline all technical, administrative and developmental systems and procedures.
The new Managing Director Engineer Tahir Basharat Cheema has taken over and without any delay he has given a comprehensive policy framework for keeping pace with the contemporary challenges, especially, the energy conservation, load management, generation, updated distribution system and customer services.
The new MD is a highly qualified engineer, with a vast experience and knowledge of energy sector and possesses the qualities of a visionary leader. He has issued instructions to enhance the performance and compatibility of all distribution companies.
THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN IN THIS REGARD TO TRANSFORM THE ORGANIZATION THROUGH A CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS:
a. The utmost focus is on energy discipline for conservation to ensure efficacious utilisation of available energy resources, particularly the electricity. For this, a massive energy conservation campaign has been launched to create awareness among the general public and promote a culture of energy conservation, through electronic and print media ads, talk shows, sitcoms, brochures, pamphlets, road walks/shows, and other events.
Augmenting this campaign, the watches were forwarded for one hour, which also helped in saving about 200 to 250-mw of electricity. Energy savers are being made available for distribution to maximum people.
b. A number of new grid stations and feeders are being constructed and commissioned to provide electricity to more and more consumers. Recently Gakhar grid station has been commissioned to facilitate more than .02 million consumers of Sialkot, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin areas.
A continuous construction and maintenance programme has been chalked out to revamp the distribution system of all the DISCOs, which includes replacement/upgradation of transformers, replacements of defected wires/cables and over all system upgradation.
c. Provision of electricity to villages, towns and other non-electrified areas is being ensured to facilitate inhabitants of the areas. Pepco is providing electricity to its domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural consumers and playing the role of a lifeline in the country's economic development.
d. A comprehensive programme on war-footings is being contemplated for increasing the generation sources in the country. For this, many alternate sources of energy are proposed to be utilised along with the hydel generation for tapping all possible methods, like wind, coal, gas and others. This month the MD Pepco visited Atlas and Orient power plants in Kasur and Sheikhupura areas and instructed their early functioning so that about 450-mw electricity immediately is available in the system.
e. Maximum efforts are being made to manage the electricity shortfall, nowadays due to sudden rise in mercury and other generation problems. Pepco has issued clear instructions for effectual and organised load management to all DISCOs for minimum inconvenience to its consumers. The average electricity deficit in the month of May has been 900-mw to 1250-mw.
No prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding is being carried out, in spite of heavy stress on the generation and distribution system. Due to concerted efforts and better load management, no loadshedding was carried out from 01 May to 03 May 2009. An effective load growth and monitoring system has been implemented in PEPCO Head office for better load management.
f. The MD Pepco is also paying a lot of attention towards better customer services for electricity consumers to resolve various issues of billing, electricity supply and restoration of new connections, electricity meter faults and various other difficulties which the consumers might experience.
In order to ensure this, the staff and the officers are being motivated to enhance their performance and improve the procedures. MD Pepco has started his visits to all the DISCOs, where he is addressing the officers and sharing his vision with them for making Pepco a modern and competitive organisation.
g. Pepco has always focused on corporate social responsibility and the new MD is also infusing the spirit of social welfare and development. On the instructions of GoP and the Minister of Water and Power, Pepco is establishing complete state-of-the-art distribution network of electricity in the camps of IDPs of Swat and other areas.
Transformers and generators are being installed and free electricity will be provided to all displaced people in the camps. A special task force has been constituted by PEPCO for this national project in the times of crises.
h. All these efforts will lead to a better functioning of the organisation for ensuring overall prosperity of the country, but without the co-operation of the general public, these efforts cannot give maximum fruits. The co-operation of the consumers is particularly required for energy discipline, conservation and electricity theft.
During the hours of load management our consumers must try to understand the compulsions and adjust their daily life routine. Pepco regrets the inconvenience caused to its consumers and assures that concrete steps are being taken to overcome this problem in the near future.