Solution to load shedding... By Riaz
06 September, 2012
This is apropos of WAPDA Chairperson Shakeel Durrani's statement that he made some time ago that power outages could not be overcome until 2018. He also put the blame on some snags as being real the cause of power outages. In my opinion, much has been said and planned, and now is the time to execute things, but this requires the support of both the federal and provincial governments. Short-term projects must be prioritised. I suggest that all available renewable means such as solar, wind, biogas and bio-fuel must be tapped on a war footing. Provision of energy-saver bulbs at cheap rates must also be ensured. I appeal to owners of sugar and rice factories to produce their own energy by using their industrial waste. I would like to point out to the load management cell that there is a shortfall of 4,500 MW but the demand is for 18,000 MW. The duration of load shedding in urban areas is 12 hours, while it is 18 hours in rural areas. Can it be possible to reduce load shedding in the same proportion on the basis of the actual shortfall? I request the federal minister for water and power to exert pressure to expedite the ongoing projects as the survival of industry rests on the availability of electricity. The memorandums of understanding with Chinese firms must be finalised so that power plants running on oil can be converted to coal, which is abundantly available in Thar. A campaign for the recovery of outstanding bills to the tune of Rs 400 billion required to be paid to oil companies should be accorded priority so that Gencos can further enhance production of electricity. RIAZ AKBAR
Wah Cantt
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