Daily Times

KARACHI: With the commissioning of the second unit of Port Qasim coal-fired power plant early next year, the country will be producing additional 1320MW electricity that will usher Pakistan into an era of surplus power generation after years of dismal performance and prolonged load shedding.

People in Pakistan have suffered in the past due to prolong power outages from 16 hours in urban areas to 24 hours in rural areas. However, completion of 660MW coal-fired power plant at Port Qasim has reduced power deficit to large extent while the next unit will add another 660MW. Besides, a number of power plants are expected to come online as well.

Powerchina Resources Chairman Sheng Yuming said that the work on unit-II of 660MW project was in final stages and will be completed by February next year, 50 days ahead of schedule. The first unit was also completed in record time of 30 months, instead of the scheduled 36 months.

“The unit-I of 660MW poject, inaugurated by PM Abbasi was the first large-scale energy project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The cost, $2.085 billion, is shared by Powerchina Resources and Qatar’s Al-Mirqab at a ratio of 51 and 49 percent respectively”, Yuming stated.

Two power units at Port Qasim are the first CPEC implemented power projects that have gone online, right from construction to power generation. The coal-fired power plant at Sahiwal was recently inaugurated, but that was included in the CPEC at the construction stage. The two power plants will add 2600MW to the distribution network.

Sea water cooling and circulating system, seawater desalination system, limestone-gypsum wet desulfurization were specially designed to make this plant state-of-the-art and environment friendly project. The 1320MW electricity will cater to four million families’ daily consumption.

Recently, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said that government had added 3600MW of RLNG based generation and another 1200MW was under works by the Punjab government; while Sindh government had also shown interest in two 1200MW plants in Karachi. Besides, 2000MW of renewable energy has been added to the national grid.

Meanwhile, Power Minister Awais Ahmed Leghari claimed that 62 percent power feeders had been declared load shedding-free across the country. Earlier, out of 8,600 feeders all over the country, only 326 were load shedding-free. Now 5,297 feeders will be load shedding-free countrywide, he declared.

Economists and industrialists have termed it a good omen for the country and hoped that the industrial sectors which were suffering from load shedding will not only improve production but also contribute to exports. “There will be no excuse for exporters as they have been citing power shortage as the main reason of decline”, Dr Athar Ahmed, senior economist said. “However, government announcements should not be election ploys because next year polling is scheduled to be held”.

Some industrialists in Karachi still complained about prolonged load shedding. “We are facing up to 8 hours of load shedding at least three times a week”, said Pakistan Soap Manufacturers Association Chairman Abdullah Zaki.

Published in Daily Times, December 6^th 2017.