The load shedding-hit country will get the supply of 232 megawatts from a barge-mounted Rental Power Plant (RPP), due to arrive here in Karachi next month, as the environmental impact assessment study of the project has been completed.
The Turkish rental power plant is expected to reach the city by the end of May 2010 as the ground workings, environmental studies and public hearing etc have already been completed, sources told Business Recorder on Wednesday.
The Turkish rental power plant, which was scheduled to be here by January 2010 would now be installed at Haroonabad, Karachi with the delay of almost four months, from where the electricity of 232MW would be supplied to Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), they said.
To get the power supply from this plant, the sources said, KESC has also completed the installation of 132 Kv double wires from its Korangi Thermal Power Station (KTPS) to the location where the ship containing the plant would be installed. The additional supply of power from KTPS would be distributed to different grids through KESC's own networks.
To reduce the power shortages in the country, Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) has invited Karkey, a Turkish Company, to install the plant, they added. According to sources, the ship was to contain two turbines of 150MW each, would be able to supply around 232 MW after different power losses.
Interestingly, the addition of at least 232 MW in the KESC's system would not benefit this loadshedding-hit commercial and industrial hub of the country as soon after starting the supply from the plant, a reduction of the same megawatts would be made by Wapda in its supply to the privately run public utility.
Tabish Gauhar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KESC, had also confirmed that the company would not be benefited from the rental power plant as the company would lose the same supply from Wapda, the cheaper one. Besides, the sources said, the electricity, to be received by KESC from the barge-mounted plant would rather be costly as compare to the same it receives from Wapda.
Talking to Business Recorder, Naeem Mughal Director General, SEPA, said that the environmental assessment was completed and a public hearing in this regard was also held recently at a local hotel. To deduct its 50 percent electricity supply to KESC, sources said, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) had arranged the alternate 232 megawatts in the city, from the rental power plant.
KESC, which was mostly adjusting the cost of power to Wapda with the subsidy it claims from the government, now has to pay to the foreign company for the 323 MWs, they added. The company, which has been charged by Wapda around Rs 3.5 per unit currently, has to pay the foreign company almost Rs 09 per unit beside the fuel charges, they claimed. They further said, according to the agreement, the government of Pakistan, beside all the arrangements and allocations of these turbines would ensure the smooth supply of fuel to these turbines.