KARACHI: The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has repeatedly made claims that there will be no load shedding after 2015 and that at least 2,000 MW will be added to the system. What it has not specified, however, is how that will happen.

With good reason too. According to sources, KESC doesn’t plan on putting in any more money towards the 2,000 MW. That is why it has not made public actual details of plans to increase power generation. The 2,000 MW will reportedly come from someone else.

Eight years ago, the government planned to set up two nuclear power plants in the vicinity of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, K-1. These plants were to be called K-2 and K-3 and would have a capacity of 1,000 MW each. Land has already been demarcated and the seismic and geological surveys completed. Final work will begin this year, sources said.

Thus, sources said, KESC was planning on buying that electricity, not necessarily generating it on its own.

The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority has upgraded K-1 and the International Atomic Energy Agency has approved its physical life extension for 12 more years.

Presently, the power demand of the city is 2,769 MW, but is expected to increase to 5,166 MW by 2015.

Sources also said that KESC has planned to sell 50 percent of its shares to a new partner, for which the present owners needed to gather as much revenue as possible. This is why the utility’s Defence Zone has started a recovery drive, to discourage people from using unauthorized electricity.

KESC’s Executive Director Syed Tanzeem Hussain Naqvi has directed the department concerned to carry out a full-fledged campaign for the recovery of outstanding dues against defaulters and unauthorized consumers.

The KESC Service Assurances General Manager Asad Hussain Zubairi, with area managers and staff, has started the work. During the campaign, the Service Assurances department has disconnected 116 residential and commercial connections for non-payment in bills worth Rs 14.71 million.


Daily Times