Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has resumed pre-Ramazan load shedding schedule for the high loss feeders after negotiations with the representatives of protesters failed. The consumers of high-loss feeders first protested but later negotiated with the officials of Pesco and demanded restoration of pre-Ramazan schedule.
"Protesters maintained that in case Pepco implements Ramazan schedule, they get electricity only during Sehri and Iftar for three hours each but in the event the previous schedule is applied, electricity is provided for one hour after every 4 hours," said a spokesman for the Water and Power Ministry.
After negotiations with the elected members and notables, the issue was settled and previous schedule restored. Most of the protesters belonged to a few areas of Peshawar, Bannu, Karak and Charsadda districts. Pesco's share in total generation is 13.5 per cent which is around 2,000-2,200 MW. On Tuesday, Pesco was getting 1800 MW whereas on Wednesday the company got around 1,600 MW. The key reason is that Pesco's system constraints do not allow it to get full share.
Two key reasons for system constraints are: (i) Pesco could not establish grid stations at different locations due to non- provision of land and (ii) overloaded transformers. With the fixing of both issues Pesco can get and consume its entire share.
Pesco argues feels that with uninterrupted supply, receivables shortfall will increase manifold; and further maintain that those areas where loss is 30 percent, the company is load shedding for two hours, 30- 50 percent losses account for 4-8 hour load shedding and 51-99 per cent losses, 12-18 hours load shedding. Supply of one hour electricity means Rs 0.7 million financial loss at one feeder. Pesco's financial loss is Rs 1.5 billion to Rs 2 billion per month, the main reason of which is 'Kundas'.
The government is in agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that load shedding will be linked with recovery. Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) government has accused federal government for not giving its due share in electricity which is causing unscheduled load shedding across the province. KP Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani told Business Recorder that constitutionally the province has 13.5 percent ie around 2,200 MW share in the total power produced but claims that the federal government is not supplying 1800 MW that the system can withstand but 1,300 MW, adding that this gap in demand and supply is causing unscheduled load shedding.
"Making lame excuse of line losses, federal government is over billing consumers, thus forcing them to go for power theft," said Ghani, adding the government had announced there would be no load shedding during Sehri and Iftar time, but unscheduled load shedding is continuing across the province. Replying to a question, the Minister said that provincial government is ready to impose Section 14 for land acquisition in any area for establishing grid stations in KP.
Spokesperson DG Pesco Shaukat Afzal told Business Recorder that load shedding is being carried out in areas where 70 to 99 percent line losses are reported like Badaber and Bara Gate, etc. The areas where recovery is good, like Cant, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Swat etc there is minimum or no load shedding. He further said that land has been acquired for three grid stations including WAPDA town, WAPDA colony and Nowshera, while work on others is in progress. These grid stations would help in reducing over load and improve transmission system.