Federal Minister for Power
Division, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari has announced lifting of loadshedding
on 5297 feeders with 14,915,221 (149.15 million) consumers across the country
from 00 hours 4th December 2017.
The announcement was made
yesterday at a press conference at Press Information Department by the Federal
Minister for Power Division, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari.
Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan
Leghari announced that country has now
surplus power generation of upto 2700MW therefore decision has been made to
lift loadsheding on these feeders. He said that these includes 326 feeders
which are under the permissible losses as well as 4971 feeders of upto 10%
losses above the NERPA allowed losses.
Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan
Leghari also announced to abolish the urban and rural differentiation for
loadshedding from 2nd December 2017 in order to ensure equal
distribution of electricity among the consumers.
Accordingly to details the
1227 Feeders in LESCO, 748 feeders in GEPCO, 896 feeders in FESCO, 204 feeders
in HESCO, 24 Feeders in SEPCO, 61 feeders in QESCO, 710 Feeders in IESCO, 763
feeder in MEPCO, 309 feeders in PESCO and 29 feeders in TESCO will be made
loadshedding free from 00 hours on December 4 2017.
Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan
Leghari said that this is major leap towards fulfilment of the promise by the present government for
elimination of loadshedding in the country. He said that since the country is
now generating sufficient electricity due to efforts made by the present
government, it is now time to gradually bring the loadshedding to end.
While speaking about the scenario in 2013, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said that In December 2013 the electricity generation was 9279 MW, while system demand was 11799 MW and even in December we were having a shortfall of 2520 MW leading to 8 to 10 hours of load shedding.
This year our electricity generation availability in December 2017, has
been increased by 7465 MW to the
level of 16477 MW with a surplus of 2727 MW against a demand of 14017 MW, the Minister for Power
Division added. He said that the country
has moved from shortfall to surplus and
also been able to meet the growing / increased demand of 2218 MW during month of December.
The Federal Minister said that
many of the country’s power generation projects of approximately 4000 MW are in various stages of
completion and will start generation before coming summer in 2018.
Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said that during the summer 2017 (this
year), our system generation availability reached to the record level of 20000 MW in peak summer against a
demand of 24000 MW. We are Insha’Allah on track to produce more
than 25000 MW in the year 2018 with
the completion of all projects.
The Federal Minister said
that feeders where the losses are above 10%, the DISCOs will carry loadshedding
proportionate to the percentage of losses. He however said that consumers of
these feeders may cooperate with the concerned Distribution Company to reduce
the losses and bring their loadshedding to zero. He said that now the country
has electricity generation above the system demand, we are trying our best to
bring as much areas under zero loadshedding as possible.
Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan
Leghari said that Government from very first day made it clear that in high
losses areas we have to resort to loadshedding even if we have surplus
electricity generation.
The Federal Minister said that we
are trying to inculcate habit of compliance among the consumers besides taking
stringent decisions for our own staff at DISCOs level. The electricity can
neither be generated nor distributed free of cost so we have to eliminate the
power theft and all other means contributing towards losses in the system.
The Federal Minister for
Power Division also revealed a comprehensive plan to cut losses for the present
high losses feeder for widening the
scope of zero loadsheddinng. He said that
the DISCOs have been assigned targets to bring down losses of all
feeders presently on above 50% to 90% losses to the level of 50%. Similarly
these DISCOs have been assigned the
targets to bring losses at below 50% down to 10% and 20%.
He said that the DISCOs will utilize all means
including incentivizing the line staff and law enforcement agencies in order to
bring the losses to acceptable level. He said that the BODs of DISCOs have
already been asked to conduct special
meeting to approve special incentives for the staff and law enforcement
agencies in order to reduce losses and bring more and more areas under zero
loadshedding.
We are appealing the
consumers to cooperate with us for
elimination of loadshedding in their respective areas, pay their bills in time,
install meters, identify the theft so that their areas may be made loadhseddinng
free, the Minster concluded.
***
