Pakistan suffers big power outage after second grid failure in three months

[Major]

Pretty shocking. And Chinese equipment. This is the third time in 3 years if I am not mistaken. What is the reason for this ?

china never really promised to put lines for us. That was our own resposibility. China only agreed to place lines in those areas where CPEC project existed.

The lines for the national grid was something that Pakistani govt was suppose to do and that to under PTI's govt as it was during his tenure the phase of placing lines started. I don't know if the work ont he lines was halted or still going on.

 

[MenInG]

Stay on topic

 

[MenInG]

The process to restore electricity is underway across the country after a major power breakdown hit Pakistan early Monday morning due to a failure in the national grid for the second time in the last three months.

Sources in National Power Construction Corporation (NPCC) told The Express Tribune that Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has given a 10pm deadline to restore the electricity throughout the country.

They said that power on limited grid stations of Islamabad and Peshawar has been restored. They said that the fault occurred in an NTDC line from Guddu to Balochistan, adding that the breakdown had disrupted power supply across the country.

Sources revealed that due to the disconnection between the transmission line and the power plants, the frequency of power decreased, which led to a cascading effect, causing the tripping of power plants one after the other. They added that further reasons for the power failure are also being determined.

 

[Saj]

I feel for the people of Pakistan I really do.

Relatives living in cities such as Islamabad, Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan and other areas are all saying how bad things are out there.

 

[ElRaja]

pakistan goes back further every year, economically, the country may be beyond saving tbh.

 

[Bewal Express]

I feel for the people of Pakistan I really do.

Relatives living in cities such as Islamabad, Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan and other areas are all saying how bad things are out there.

Barkat has gone from PK. We have local criminals and Foreign govts controlling the fate of 230mn people

 

[Syed1]

pakistan goes back further every year, economically, the country may be beyond saving tbh.

That's not quite true. We were growing at 6% for two consecutive years before IK was removed. First time Pakistan had posted two consecutive years of over 5% growth in 15+ years. However, since IK's removal it has been a STEEP decline.


Unfortunately, Imran Khan was not allowing the generals to loot and plunder like the previous corrupt governments so he had to go.

 

[Bewal Express]

Normally in these situations and in the disaster that has unfolded over the the last 9 months people in my family would be reading nafal for PK, but tbh I can't be bothered anymore. Our hearts will always cry for PK but it's a car crash and we feel powerless. Out of such ashes countries have risen before but I can't see anything good for a long time. Thanks Bajwa and your greedy Generals

 

[ElRaja]

That's not quite true. We were growing at 6% for two consecutive years before IK was removed. First time Pakistan had posted two consecutive years of over 5% growth in 15+ years. However, since IK's removal it has been a STEEP decline.


Unfortunately, Imran Khan was not allowing the generals to loot and plunder like the previous corrupt governments so he had to go.

i dont want to make this about parties, Pakistan has been declining for a long time, its long-term growth rate is barely above its demographic growth rate, around 1% over the last 25 years, which for a country which is as under developed as Pakistan is shockingly poor.

 

[Firebat]

Factbox-Why were millions of Pakistanis without electricity?

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Millions of Pakistanis were left without electricity for the second time in three months after a grid failure on Monday, affecting nearly all parts of the country - from the capital Islamabad in the north to Karachi in the south.

Here's a look at what happened, and the immediate prospects for Pakistan's power grid.

WHAT HAPPENED

Pakistan's energy ministry said on Monday the system frequency of its National Grid went down at 0734 hours local time, causing a "widespread breakdown" in the power system.

Energy Minister Khurrum Dastgir told Reuters the outage was caused by a large voltage surge in the south of the country that affected the entire network.

PAKISTAN'S POWER GRID

Pakistan typically meets more than a third of its annual power demand using imported natural gas, prices for which shot up following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A recent delay in receiving funds under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme has resulted in the country struggling to buy fuel from abroad. Fuel shipments make up the bulk of Pakistan's import bill, and current foreign exchange reserves barely cover a month's worth of imports.

The government has ordered malls, restaurants and markets to shut by 8.30 pm every day to conserve energy, and ramped up imports of fuel oil to keep lights on in schools, hospitals and factories in the country of 220 million people.

FREQUENT POWER CUTS

Pakistan has been facing hours-long power cuts for months, with rural areas facing longer outages than cities. While the duration of power cuts has come down during the winters, many parts still face power cuts to save fuel costs.

An intense heatwave during the summer of 2022, followed by gas shortages amid surging global natural gas prices, has resulted in crippling power cuts across the country.

GRID FAILURES

Electricity grids fail or break down when there is a big mismatch between demand and supply, sometimes due to unexpected or sudden changes in power use patterns.

In extreme cases, when the gap between supply and demand widens beyond a certain threshold, all generating stations are unplugged from the grid, resulting in a blackout.

It is not immediately clear what the exact cause of Pakistan's grid breakdown was, but power grid frequency typically falls when supply falls short of demand.

Dastgir told the Geo TV channel that some power generators were being taken off the grid during the night in winters as a cost-saving measure, as power demand was low.

When the power generators came back on to the grid on Monday morning, there was a sudden voltage fluctuation, after which the power generating units shut down one by one, he told Geo TV.

Dastgir did not say what type of power generators were disconnected, but a shortage of gas at utilities could have potentially hurt the grid's flexibility.

Gas-fired utilities and hydro power plants are generally the best equipped to handle sudden fluctuations in power demand, as electricity output from these units can be ramped up and down within minutes.

Other utilities such as those running on coal or nuclear fuel operate continuously, making them unsuitable to deal with sudden fluctuations.

RESTORATION

Pakistan expects to restore power to most parts of the country by 2200 hours local time, meaning large swathes of the country will have been in the dark for over 14 hours.

"We are trying our utmost to achieve restoration before that," Dastgir told Reuters.

In a similar case in Bangladesh in October, the country suffered a grid failure that lead to outages in nearly three-quarters of the nation, when it took over 10 hours to restore power.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=26881446ad5543da9c45792e748afd55

 

[offstump]

what? how did demand peaked at 7:00 am in the morning? No office here opens at 7:00 am unless its a call center which usually have change of shifts at that hour..

Our grid system is not perfect. It has nothing to do with pdm. What did PDM do? Sell of electricity of one day to Afghanistan?

Its funny how there are overseas Pakistanis that are waiting to see Pakistan fail and destroy. You lot are worst than Indians..... JUst want to see the country fail only to say look what PDM did.

The national grid issue has had such faults, we have lost electricity completely in 2015, and than in 2021 aswell during imran's govt aswel. Infact, didnt he claim he made dams? Yeh where is the electricity than?

Whats even more hilarious is that posters sitting overseas coming up with theories that there was a peak in demand at 7;00 am
Some thinking Pakistan would be attacked... Like even enemy need light to locate a target to hit.

Anyways, electricity came back 4 hours ago. I understand many of you overseas would be disappointed by this news.

We Pakistanis living in this country will vote for ever we like, and you guys cant do anything about it. And we will do a VONC and throw anyone from the PM seat who we see as terrible!

Don’t get so caught up in your emotions and blind love for the corrupt and incompetent. Lots of accusations in your post. It’s idiotic and absurd to suggest someone wants Pakistan to fail just so they can blame the PDM. Dude, Pakistan is already failing miserably and the PDM have a big part to play in that. If you can’t see that then honestly you need help. Scroll up and you can read an article which explains the surge in demand.

When you introduce a new policy to conserve electricity overnight, then naturally the demand will surge when people wake up. It’s not that hard to understand but seems like you can’t figure it out, just like the PDM!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cricket-lion]

This is another example of the incompetent mafia Pakistan has in power. Thank you to the ones who facilitated their returns. And congratulations to Major and Mamoon, glad I live in a civilised society. Banana Republic Pakistan. Will their be any accountability? I think this is a stupid question.

 

[Major]

Don’t get so caught up in your emotions and blind love for the corrupt and incompetent. Lots of accusations in your post. It’s idiotic and absurd to suggest someone wants Pakistan to fail just so they can blame the PDM. Dude, Pakistan is already failing miserably and the PDM have a big part to play in that. If you can’t see that then honestly you need help. Scroll up and you can read an article which explains the surge in demand.

When you introduce a new policy to conserve electricity overnight, then naturally the demand will surge when people wake up. It’s not that hard to understand but seems like you can’t figure it out, just like the PDM!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How did demand surge at 7:00 am in the korning when more than half of the country sleeps. Businesses and factories start after 10 here....

Again instead of the usual anti pdm rant, next time use some logic

 

[Syed1]

Country is reeling under worst ever blackout while this spawn of Zardari third gender eunuch travels the world on his tourist visits

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ur" dir="rtl">خصوصی طیاروں میں گھومنے والا اس ملک کا وزیر خارجہ ہے جس میں ڈالرز کی قلت کی وجہ سے بدترین بریک ڈاؤن ہے۔ <br>Thanks Sir <a href="https://t.co/roD0e45VkU">pic.twitter.com/roD0e45VkU</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranRiazKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranRiazKhan/status/1617610114323865600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Major]

Country is reeling under worst ever blackout while this spawn of Zardari third gender eunuch travels the world on his tourist visits

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ur" dir="rtl">خصوصی طیاروں میں گھومنے والا اس ملک کا وزیر خارجہ ہے جس میں ڈالرز کی قلت کی وجہ سے بدترین بریک ڈاؤن ہے۔ <br>Thanks Sir <a href="https://t.co/roD0e45VkU">pic.twitter.com/roD0e45VkU</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranRiazKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranRiazKhan/status/1617610114323865600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

when was it the job of a foreign minister to look after electricity?

Yu do know that power is back up, it has been 12 hours since power was back.

 

[Major]

This is another example of the incompetent mafia Pakistan has in power. Thank you to the ones who facilitated their returns. And congratulations to Major and Mamoon, glad I live in a civilised society. Banana Republic Pakistan. Will their be any accountability? I think this is a stupid question.

so in 2021 during Imrans govt when there was a total black out in the country, that would be his fault right?

oh right i forgot, you lot decided to hush up at that time

 

[Syed1]

Three of the four times Pakistan experienced such extreme blackouts, a Sharif was the PM.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">World latest blackouts of power, affecting more than half of population:<br><br>1. Today<br>2. Sep,2022<br>3. Jan,2021<br>4. Aug,2020<br>5. Mar,2019<br>6. Aug,2019<br>7. Jun,2019<br>8. Mar,2016<br>9. Mar,2015<br>10. Jan,2015<br>11. , Nov,2014<br>12. , July,2012<br><br>Source: Wikipedia</p>— Economy of Pakistan (@Pakistanomy) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pakistanomy/status/1617458840936620032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[daytrader]

Widespread outages persist despite govt’s claim of ‘fully restoring’ power

A day after a massive breakdown hit Pakistan, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir said on Tuesday that electricity has been fully restored at grid stations across the country. However, major cities, including Karachi, Quetta and Lahore, remained deprived of power.

“Power at all 1,112 stations of the national grid has been restored,” Dastgir tweeted.

In a televised address at 10am, the minister explained said that there was a “delay in synchronisation” between Tarbela and Mangla power plants.

“But with the support of the Power Division, Wapda and other departments, we fixed the technical problem after which power at systems across the country was restored.

“Today, at 5:15am, the system was completely restored across the country,” Dastgir said.

However, the minister pointed out that there will be a shortage of electricity for the next two days.

He elaborated that approximately 6,600 megawatts of coal and 3,500MW of nuclear plants would take an estimated 48 to 72 hours to restart. “Until these plants start running, there will be limited load management, excluding industrial users.”

...
https://www.dawn.com/news/1733368/w...-despite-govts-claim-of-fully-restoring-power

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to power outage yesterday. On my orders an inquiry is underway to determine reasons of the power failure. Responsibility will be fixed.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1617808495952420864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Cricket-lion]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to power outage yesterday. On my orders an inquiry is underway to determine reasons of the power failure. Responsibility will be fixed.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1617808495952420864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Responsibility will be fixed? What does this meant to mean? Under PDM, there won't be any accountability so I don't know what he is talking about.

 

[the Great Khan]

so in 2021 during Imrans govt when there was a total black out in the country, that would be his fault right?

oh right i forgot, you lot decided to hush up at that time

You just can't help it can you. Why can't you just accept that this govt is a complete and utter respounding failure.

They are now trying to cover up this power failure as a technical fault. There were claims yesterday that they turned off power in some power stations and then couldn't restart.

The structural damage done to the country may be fatal...your complaining now if your favourite leaders continue you'll soon be on a rubber dingy in the English channel. While they sit in avenfield. Countries can go under very quickly and it can take decades to fix them if at all.

You have no money..none..so hope somebody can send you a boat via the Internet..

 

[the Great Khan]

Responsibility will be fixed? What does this meant to mean? Under PDM, there won't be any accountability so I don't know what he is talking about.

The fool can't even communicate properly..Pakistan is heading for a complete catastrophe.

 

[Cricket-lion]

The fool can't even communicate properly..Pakistan is heading for a complete catastrophe.

Not only he behaves like a 5 years old but his IQ is also of a 5 year old. Absolutely thick person to have as a PM. Mubarak to all who bought this punishment.

 

[MenInG]

A day after a massive breakdown hit Pakistan, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir said on Tuesday that electricity has been fully restored at grid stations across the country. However, major cities, including Karachi, Quetta and Lahore, remained deprived of power.

DAWN

 

[aukhan]

Pakistan is a failed state. If you have the resources leave this country for the betterment of your future generations.

 

[Bewal Express]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to power outage yesterday. On my orders an inquiry is underway to determine reasons of the power failure. Responsibility will be fixed.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1617808495952420864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So another enquiry to waste time

 

[the Great Khan]

So another enquiry to waste time

Lead by the same people who caused the problem in the first place. What a joke of a government. When IK was around all we heard was this mythical word "lack of governance" a complete lie. This is lack of governance. No power. No money. No security. No trade. No livlihoods. If that isn't a lack of governance What is??..

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Pakistan is a failed state. If you have the resources leave this country for the betterment of your future generations.

Not failed yet but failing and will fail soon.

Imran and his coalition of ex chors can't save it.

The chors in charge at the moment won't save it.

And the chors in the military won't save it.

I have never been so despondent at the state of Pakistan as I have in the last 3 years.

 

[the Great Khan]

Not failed yet but failing and will fail soon.

Imran and his coalition of ex chors can't save it.

The chors in charge at the moment won't save it.

And the chors in the military won't save it.

I have never been so despondent at the state of Pakistan as I have in the last 3 years.

You can try and portray IK however you want. He is the only game in town at the moment. Like it or not. He proved it too. All this "everyone is a choar" is a copout and allows people to wash their hands of things. I find this stance immoral.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

You can try and portray IK however you want. He is the only game in town at the moment. Like it or not. He proved it too. All this "everyone is a choar" is a copout and allows people to wash their hands of things. I find this stance immoral.

Jahangir Tarin, Pervez Elahi etc are all chors of the highest order

It is immoral to back chors just because Imran backs them.

If all we have is the ability to speak the truth then we should speak it.

I am not interested in playing a game of my chor is better than yours - to me that is more immoral.

The day Imran allied with chors to protect himself in Punjab assembly is the day when in my heart I realised the game is up in Pakistan.

Better to focus on a sub political level and try to build small scale local institutions and feed our families, the poor etc our self through charity/remittances and let these guys play musical chairs over and over again

 

[Major]

You just can't help it can you. Why can't you just accept that this govt is a complete and utter respounding failure.

They are now trying to cover up this power failure as a technical fault. There were claims yesterday that they turned off power in some power stations and then couldn't restart.

The structural damage done to the country may be fatal...your complaining now if your favourite leaders continue you'll soon be on a rubber dingy in the English channel. While they sit in avenfield. Countries can go under very quickly and it can take decades to fix them if at all.

You have no money..none..so hope somebody can send you a boat via the Internet..

What happened in 2021?

 

[MenInG]

I knew it...

==

Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir suspected a foreign hand in the massive country-wide power breakdown, ARY News reported.

 

[PakLFC]

I would assume unless you are a keyboard warrior 1000s of miles away, the first concern would be electricity, gas etc etc before the wheels start spinning about India and Kashmir. Those topics are usually left to when the stomach is full.

...and neither am I a trash talker like you. You see when the lights are out the enemy is at it's most dangerous. India was so happy to see this in Pak had you watched their news channels. Our soldiers often fight on empty stomachs as they signed up for it. Where i live has nothing to do with it.

 

[PakLFC]

The way things are, what enemy could have done any worse?

Being under attack by any country is much worse then the lights going out.

 

[Hitman]

I knew it...

==

Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir suspected a foreign hand in the massive country-wide power breakdown, ARY News reported.

How can there be any foreign hand behind this? This is hilarious

 

[Bewal Express]

What happened in 2021?

Why did Khawaja Asif predict this 3 weeks ago.

 

[Bewal Express]

Lead by the same people who caused the problem in the first place. What a joke of a government. When IK was around all we heard was this mythical word "lack of governance" a complete lie. This is lack of governance. No power. No money. No security. No trade. No livlihoods. If that isn't a lack of governance What is??..

The clowns leading a circus except nothing is funny and 230mn are being forced to watch.

 

[Browncaps]

A question for Major.

Are the funds wasted on fake cases, audios, torture, maiming,threats, assassination attempts and murder of PTI members, patriotic journalists, customs officials and various enslaved members of Pakistani awaam, pmln and ppps dads money that they have a right to loot because a few chors vote for them and then they rig rest of the elections?

Auqat of these haram khors is zilch and here they are running their mouth like the incompetent fools they have always been.

 

[sjahmed23]

You can try and portray IK however you want. He is the only game in town at the moment. Like it or not. He proved it too. All this "everyone is a choar" is a copout and allows people to wash their hands of things. I find this stance immoral.

Not to mention no morale. At least Khan had the youth on his side and had a vision. Shebaz Sharif talks like a school boy who got his candy stolen the sharifs have 0 leadership qualities.

 

[shortbread]

Being under attack by any country is much worse then the lights going out.

Let's not be gullible.

The reason minimal electricity is being generated right now is because the govt. is trying hard to stave off a default and saving precious foreign currency reserves.

60-70% of the grid is powered by coal, furnace oil and gas. Majority if not all of this is imported. The govt. simply trying to consume as less as possible.

 

[PakLFC]

Let's not be gullible.

The reason minimal electricity is being generated right now is because the govt. is trying hard to stave off a default and saving precious foreign currency reserves.

60-70% of the grid is powered by coal, furnace oil and gas. Majority if not all of this is imported. The govt. simply trying to consume as less as possible.

You kidding me? So it is better to be under attack then the lights going out? The rest of your mail is irrelevant to what I said. No one is saying that we have a good government in charge,

 

[MenInG]

******tan’s generators produced more power than was required on Monday, causing voltage fluctuations that culminated in a system collapse that plunged 220 million people into darkness, an internal government document reviewed by Reuters showed.

Complete grid failures are rare, and operators of modern grids count local shocks from integration of renewable energy as their primary challenge.

The blackout was triggered by the power grid’s frequency rising to 50.75 hertz (hz) early on Monday, causing severe voltage fluctuations in transmission lines in the south, according to the internal note.

Grid operators attempt to keep the frequency of the grid stable at 50hz, with deviations over 0.05hz typically considered abnormal. The frequency of the grid was already 50.30hz moments before the incident, according to the note.

DAWN

 

[MenInG]

Water and Power Minister Khurram Dastgir on Sunday said that the government was not considering an immediate increase in the price of electricity despite the government jacking up tariffs of petrol and diesel.

He said this at a function organised at the Governor House in Peshawar regarding the inclusion of electricity produced privately for PESCO's system in Upper Chitral.

He said that legal hurdles were removed to take Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation's (PEDO) electricity to the national grid, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked to clear the matter with K-P Governor Ghulam Ali.

 

[MenInG]

Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir has said the federal government is probing the massive January 22 power outage across the country from different angles as the possibility of a cyberattack on the system cannot be ruled out.

“An inquiry will be completed very soon. Although there are very fewer chances, a cyberattack on the national grid cannot be ruled out,” Mr Dastgir informed media persons during a news conference at the Governor’s House here on Sunday.

 

[daytrader]

Cyberattack may be behind power breakdown, says minister

Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir has said the federal government is probing the massive January 22 power outage across the country from different angles as the possibility of a cyberattack on the system cannot be ruled out.

“An inquiry will be completed very soon. Although there are very fewer chances, a cyberattack on the national grid cannot be ruled out,” Mr Dastgir informed media persons during a news conference at the Governor’s House here on Sunday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali was also present on the occasion.

Mr Dastgir said that a probe had been ordered immediately into the power breakdown, adding that a detailed report would soon be submitted to the ministry.

DAWN

 

[daytrader]

GB MAN GETS ELECTRICITY BILL OF RS139 MILLION

A Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) man was shocked after seeing an electricity bill of a whopping Rs139 million, ARY News reported.

As per details, WAPDA sent an arrear bill worth Rs139 million to a citizen who went into shock. The citizen rushed to the WAPDA office on the issue from where it was learned that it was a ‘technical error’.

XEN Billing and Operations said those involved in the negligence that caused distress to the consumer have been suspended from their jobs.

He said the data entry operator made mistake due to a new system that was recently installed.

The consumers have been asked to contact the administration over complaints and corrections of their bills.

ARY

 

[daytrader]

Plan to hike power tariff by Rs6.32/unit to cut circular debt
The government has prepared a revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) for slashing the flow of this monster by taking all kinds of measures, including raising the electricity tariff by Rs6.32 per unit

The government has prepared a revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) for slashing the flow of this monster by taking all kinds of measures, including raising the electricity tariff by Rs6.32 per unit.

Despite raising the electricity tariff by Rs6.32 per unit, the revised CDMP has estimated that it requires an additional subsidy of Rs675 billion during the current fiscal year. Under the revised CDMP, which will be shared with a visiting IMF team, the government will slash the circular debt flow from Rs1,526 billion to Rs952 billion during the ongoing financial year with certain base scenarios. For raising tariff, the Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA), the government wanted collection of Rs73 billion through hike in tariff by Rs5.54 per unit. There will be another tariff hike of Rs0.68 per unit through imposition of surcharge for recovery of the Power Holding Limited (PHL) markup. The PHL recovery, which is being planned through imposition of surcharge, will fetch Rs68 billion. So, the imposition of surcharge is also on the cards.

The government will raise electricity tariff by Rs3.21 per unit under Quarter 1 of FY2023 from February 23 to March 2023. For QTA (Q2) from Mar 23 to May 23, the electricity tariff of Rs0.69/unit will be raised. For QTA-Q3 from Jun 23 to Aug 23, the government will hike the electricity tariff by Rs1.64 per unit.

...
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/10...er-tariff-by-rs6-32-unit-to-cut-circular-debt

 

[daytrader]

KE, CHINESE FIRM SIGN MOU FOR CLEAN ENERGY

K-Electric and China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Limited signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in the development of about 1,000MW of renewable energy and hydropower projects.

According to a press release, K-Electric CEO Moonis Abdullah Alvi, and CTGSAIL CEO Wang Minsheng signed the MoU. The MoU will help generate renewable energy including hydro generation of 1,000MW (1 GW) at least.

Under the MoU, the two sides agreed to collaborate on exploring renewable energy including hydro projects across the country. Both companies will also work to develop a roadmap for the installation of grid-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems into KE’s network.

In addition, the KE is also working on the installation of solar energy in Balochistan and one hybrid project (solar and wind) in Sindh which will help reduce the electricity cost. For its solar plants, the KE has already submitted RFP (request for proposal) with Nepra for approval.

It is worth mentioning here that the MoU came after National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) last year announced that K-Electric’s exclusivity will end this year, after commentators from Karachi raised serious questions on power utility’s performance.

This would also allow new power companies to enter the market and challenge through competition the existing distributors.

ARY

 

[daytrader]

Tarbela failed ‘seven times’ during power breakdown
Musadik-led body missed deadline to complete probe

In connection with the countrywide electricity breakdown across the country last month, a Senate panel on Tuesday was informed that the Tarbela Power House had failed seven times during the restoration efforts.

The country incurred a loss of around Rs100 billion because of a halt in economic activities in the wake of a nationwide power breakdown on January 23.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) chairman informed the Senate Standing Committee on Power, during the panel’s huddle presided over by its chairman Saifullah Abro, that the regulator was investigating into why insulation had not taken place during the breakdown.

He added that it was also probing into why the north and south systems had not separated at that time.

The Nepra chairman told the committee that the system had not restarted in time following the breakdown and it should not have spread across the country.

Abro, the chairman of the committee, expressed his disappointment over the performance of the power sector, observing that its officials were not willing to work.

The panel also showed its ire over the absence of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) officials from the meeting.

...
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2400047/tarbela-failed-seven-times-during-power-breakdown

 

[daytrader]

PAKISTAN PLANS TO QUADRUPLE DOMESTIC COAL-FIRED POWER, MOVE AWAY FROM GAS

Pakistan plans to quadruple its domestic coal-fired capacity to reduce power generation costs and will not build new gas-fired plants in the coming years, its energy minister told Reuters on Monday, as it seeks to ease a crippling foreign-exchange crisis.

A shortage of natural gas, which accounts for over a third of the country’s power output, plunged large areas into hours of darkness last year. A surge in global prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an onerous economic crisis had made LNG unaffordable for Pakistan.

“LNG is no longer part of the long-term plan,” Pakistan Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan told Reuters, adding that the country plans to increase domestic coal-fired power capacity to 10 gigawatts (GW) in the medium-term, from 2.31 GW currently.

Pakistan’s plan to switch to coal to provide its citizens reliable electricity underscores challenges in drafting effective decarbonisation strategies, at a time when some developing countries are struggling to keep lights on.

https://arynews.tv/pakistan-plans-to-quadruple-domestic-coal-fired-power-move-away-from-gas/

 

[daytrader]

Pakistan can generate 70,000MW through wind and solar power in the next decade: think tank
Germany's Agora Energiewendie says the power generation will result in cost savings of 15pc and emission savings of almost 50pc.

Pakistan must pursue a more ambitious plan to tap its variable renewable energy (VRE) — solar and wind power — potential to significantly increase its share in the country’s energy mix than the one planned in the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) 10-year Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) prepared last year.

In its analysis of the IGCEP 2021-22, a German think tank, Agora Energiewendie, suggests that Pakistan has the potential to generate at least 33,000 megawatts of solar and wind power or more than 48 per cent of the the planned electricity production to nearly 70,000MW in the next 10 years. That will result in generation cost savings of 15pc and emission savings of almost 50pc, says the recently commissioned Agora study titled ‘Solar and Wind Roadmap for Pakistan’.

The study examines VRE scenarios beyond 2022 and reviews the 10-year generation expansion planning for Pakistan, evaluating the possibility and benefits of pursuing a more ambitious solar and wind power target by 2030-31. Based on the hourly dispatch of 2030, the study concludes that an increase in the planned total VRE capacity is possible by adding minor grid infrastructure reinforcements.

“Increasing VRE to 33,000MW by 2030 or 60pc greater than the IGCEP planned 21,000MW has high benefits and is stable under all scenarios. For any unexpected change in demand or others, the annual tender capacities of solar and wind can be adjusted flexibly in the future,” it adds.

...
https://www.dawn.com/news/1741948

 

[daytrader]

NTDC failure to cost consumers Rs80b
Requested adjustment of Rs6.7b due to failure to evacuate power from Thar coal-based plants

National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC)’s failure to lay transmission lines to evacuate electricity from Thar coal-based power plants has come under fire again, with concerns that this could burden consumers with a cost of up to Rs80 billion.

Despite the reduction in electricity rates for February 2023, on account of fuel adjustment charges, consumers of power distribution companies (Discos) may still face higher tariffs if previous adjustments of Rs6.3 billion due to system constraints are allowed. The tariff could increase by Rs0.85 per unit if such adjustments are allowed.

During a public hearing conducted by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), NTDC requested an adjustment of Rs6.7 billion due to the failure of evacuating power from Thar coal-based power plants. This was met with serious concerns from NEPRA, which questioned why NTDC had not made proper planning and due diligence to lay the transmission lines, taking into account the timelines of Thar coal-based power plants.

The hearing revealed that electricity demand would increase during the summer, and the country would require higher electricity generation. NTDC officials said that two transmission lines were already in place to evacuate 1400 MW electricity, with two more lines expected to become operational in April to evacuate 2400 MW electricity from Thar coal-based plants.

NEPRA conducted a public hearing regarding the February monthly fuel charges adjustment of DISCOs, presided over by Nepra Chairman Taseef H Farooqui, and attended by other NEPRA members. CPPAG had submitted a request for an increase of 85 paisa per unit on account of fuel adjustment for the month of February 2023.

...
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2409034/ntdc-failure-to-cost-consumers-rs80b

 

[MenInG]

In a hair-raising development for the citizens of the country's economic hub amid relentless spiraling inflation, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved 58 paisas per unit hike in the power tariff for K-Electric consumers.

According to a notification issued on Friday, the authority has given its nod to an increase of 58 paisas per unit in the K-Electric tariff on account of the monthly fuel charge adjustment (FCA) for February.

It added that K-Electric had sought an Rs1.66 per unit increase for the month in a petition filed with Nepra.

However, the power regulator held a public hearing on March 30, presided over by its chairman, Tauseef Farooqi.

The authority pointed out in the notification that it had charged the K-Electric consumers Rs1.71 per unit in the fuel charge adjustment for the month of January.

It added that the fuel charge adjustment for February would be Rs1.13 per unit less than that charged in January.

The notification read that the fuel charge adjustment would be recovered from the consumers in the bills of April.

It continued that the fuel charge adjustment would be applicable to only one month.

The fuel charge adjustment would be applicable to all consumers of K-Electric except lifeline and electric vehicle charging stations.

Just a week ago, Nepra notified an increase of Rs6 per unit in the power tariff for the consumers of K-Electric.

The additional amount will be collected from the consumers from April to June 2023.

Earlier, the federal government sought an increase from the power regulator by up to Rs6.02 per unit for two quarterly fuel cost adjustments.

It asked the regulator to allow its recovery from consumers in three months, April to June, to ensure national uniform tariff.

As per the request made by the Power Division, the tariff for up to 200 units of consumption in the domestic category increased by Rs3.03 per unit during April and May and then come to Rs1.55 per unit in June.

For consumption between 201 and 700 units per month, the rates went up by Rs4.76 per unit in April and May and stand at 1.55 per unit in June 2023.

For all other categories, the tariff increase was Rs6.02 per unit in these three months.

Express Tribune

 

[daytrader]

3,150 megawatts added to national grid
Electricity demand peaked at 28,000MW against supply of 20,500MW last year

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan has added over 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid in its first year in office. The government’s aim is to put Pakistan on the path to energy independence, and it has already made significant strides towards achieving that goal.

The prime minister inaugurated five important power projects in a year, adding 3150MW of energy to the national grid, to meet the rising energy needs of the country. During his visits to Sindh, the prime minister inaugurated three 1980MW coal-based power projects in Tharparkar. These projects were completed with Chinese cooperation under the CPEC project. The coal-fired power plants will generate about 15 billion units of low-cost electricity every year. The government is keen to exploit Thar coal deposits of 175 billion tonnes, which could be sufficient to fulfill the country’s electricity needs for 300 years.

In February this year, the prime minister also inaugurated K-3, the third unit of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, which will produce 1,100MW of electricity. Experts say Pakistan has an untapped hydroelectricity potential of 60,000MW. In December 2022, the prime minister launched the two refurbished units of Mangla power station, which were upgraded with the financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development, adding 70MW to the transmission system.

According to figures of the Ministry of Energy, in August last year the demand for electrictity peaked at 28,000MW against the supply of 20,500MW.

Express Tribune

 

[Hitman]

3,150 megawatts added to national grid
Electricity demand peaked at 28,000MW against supply of 20,500MW last year

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan has added over 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid in its first year in office. The government’s aim is to put Pakistan on the path to energy independence, and it has already made significant strides towards achieving that goal.

The prime minister inaugurated five important power projects in a year, adding 3150MW of energy to the national grid, to meet the rising energy needs of the country. During his visits to Sindh, the prime minister inaugurated three 1980MW coal-based power projects in Tharparkar. These projects were completed with Chinese cooperation under the CPEC project. The coal-fired power plants will generate about 15 billion units of low-cost electricity every year. The government is keen to exploit Thar coal deposits of 175 billion tonnes, which could be sufficient to fulfill the country’s electricity needs for 300 years.

In February this year, the prime minister also inaugurated K-3, the third unit of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, which will produce 1,100MW of electricity. Experts say Pakistan has an untapped hydroelectricity potential of 60,000MW. In December 2022, the prime minister launched the two refurbished units of Mangla power station, which were upgraded with the financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development, adding 70MW to the transmission system.

According to figures of the Ministry of Energy, in August last year the demand for electrictity peaked at 28,000MW against the supply of 20,500MW.

Express Tribune

Good for people in Pakistan.

 

[MenInG]

An official told a parliamentary panel on Wednesday that electric supply to Karachi might be shut down if the federal government did not pay subsidy to K-Electric (KE), a private company that supplies power to Pakistan’s economic hub.

“The federal government provides a subsidy of Rs10 to Rs20 per unit to K-Electric to maintain the tariff differential,” the power secretary during a meeting of the review and implementation committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).