Pakistan steps-up efforts to fill 3500 MW power shortage: Pakistan Times

Pakistan Times' Business & Commerce Desk

ISLAMABAD: As the country is in the grip of lengthy hours of load shedding, the Senate was informed Thursday that WAPDA is facing a shortfall of 3500 megawatts of electricity.

Answering questions in the Senate, Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf said that government is fully alive to the situation and taking steps to fill this gap hoping that the country would get rid of load-shedding by the end of this year.

Raja Pervez Ashraf reiterated his often repeated stance that not a single megawatt was included in power transmission system during the last nine years that resulted in huge gap between supply and demand. However various projects are in the pipeline that would start power generation soon and help overcome this crisis on permanent basis. He said the government has also taken concrete measures to control line losses and power theft that have started yielding results.

To another question the Minister said the present government inherited circular debt of 182 billion rupees payable to independent power producers and it was able to pay back ninety billion rupees immediately that has helped increase power generation through private producers. He said the remaining amount would be paid back by 30th of June and that would help running these power houses more efficiently and generate electricity according to their full capacity.

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