Energy Crises in Pakistan
Pakistan should look for all alternatives to increase its electrical energy production by 10,000 MW in two years. This is a very challenging and difficult task. But if it fails to achieve the target, all other indicators will go negative leaving behind a disastrous situation.
Pakistan 's Energy Crisis
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Energy is assuming central stage due to the rapid economic growth in different parts of the world, pushing energy demand higher. Unfortunately Pakistan is facing major energy crisis nowadays. The energy crisis is affecting all walks of life in the country. The situation further deteriorated because of the stoppage of the supply to industrial units by Sui Gas Company. The Company was already going through a system of load-shedding itself due to excessive use of gas by CNG users. Many electricity generation units were shut off due to non-availability of the gas. The IPPs who were operating on furnace oil could not get the regular supply of the furnace oil due to the circular debt issue. And then naturally the blame game started, starting from the water shortage in Dams to furnace oil transportation problem, violence in Sind and maintenance activity in some independent power producers. The government admitted that in last 10 years not a single MW was added. The fact is that Pakistan is sustaining an acute shortage of Power. Its demand is increasing and production is declining due to aging of the plants. And no solution is in sight. The projects which are in pipeline will not come in line before 2013. And even the magnitude is such that it will not be able to fulfill the demand of today.
The energy solution was in building of the big dams but this became controversial issue due to the Kala Bagh dam. Nobody took any step to resolve either Kala Bagh issue or start some new dam. The WAPDA is still in favour of large dams considering that the delay in construction of large dams was the basic reason for the shortage of power. But the
Pakistan 's Energy Crisis
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Energy is assuming central stage due to the rapid economic growth in different parts of the world, pushing energy demand higher. Unfortunately Pakistan is facing major energy crisis nowadays. The energy crisis is affecting all walks of life in the country. The situation further deteriorated because of the stoppage of the supply to industrial units by Sui Gas Company. The Company was already going through a system of load-shedding itself due to excessive use of gas by CNG users. Many electricity generation units were shut off due to non-availability of the gas. The IPPs who were operating on furnace oil could not get the regular supply of the furnace oil due to the circular debt issue. And then naturally the blame game started, starting from the water shortage in Dams to furnace oil transportation problem, violence in Sind and maintenance activity in some independent power producers. The government admitted that in last 10 years not a single MW was added. The fact is that Pakistan is sustaining an acute shortage of Power. Its demand is increasing and production is declining due to aging of the plants. And no solution is in sight. The projects which are in pipeline will not come in line before 2013. And even the magnitude is such that it will not be able to fulfill the demand of today.
The energy solution was in building of the big dams but this became controversial issue due to the Kala Bagh dam. Nobody took any step to resolve either Kala Bagh issue or start some new dam. The WAPDA is still in favour of large dams considering that the delay in construction of large dams was the basic reason for the shortage of power. But the