Protests against K-Electric in Karachi after prolonged power outages and loadshedding

[Abdullah719]

NEPRA to investigate load-shedding in Karachi

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Tuesday said it would initiate an investigation into forced load-shedding in Karachi.

During a public hearing, Nepra Chairman Tauseef Farooqi said an investigation would be conducted into unannounced load-shedding by K-Electric in the city of Karachi. Reasons for load-shedding would be brought before the public, he said.

There have been protests by people over the prolonged power outages in the city. Protesters claimed that they were facing 12-hour load-shedding and demanded action to stop power outages.

Spoiler

A K-Electric spokesperson said the utility was facing continued challenges on account of inconsistent supply of furnace oil, as compared to its demand, and had been highlighting the challenge so that it could be urgently resolved by relevant authorities. “This fuel shortfall is compromising generation capability at K-Electric’s power plants.”

Explaining the situation, the spokesperson said, “K-Electric’s daily furnace oil requirement is close to 2,800 metric tons these days, while at present we are receiving around 2,000 metric tons per day. Currently, there are pending orders of close to 14,000 metric tons of furnace oil. These are compromising both our own ability to run generation plants and our independent power producers’ (IPPs) ability to supply power to us.”

He said the power utility was taking measures to ensure long-term improvement in its generation fleet’s efficiency and reliability. “Most important among them is the decommissioning of older generation units and the development of Bin Qasim Power Station-III, a state-of-the-art 900MW RLNG plant that is expected to come on stream ahead of summer 2021.”

He said this power plant was critical to ensure that Karachi’s growing demand was met. “In the short term, considering that power demand will remain at these levels for the next three months and in light of constrained supplies from refineries, it is critical that furnace oil supplies are improved through imports.”

Power tariff

The power sector regulator decided to defer decision on increase in electricity tariff.

Nepra said the cabinet had decided not to increase power tariff till June 30 and following this, the regulator also deferred decision on tariff revision for power distribution companies. The Nepra chairman said K-Electric would also face the same treatment like other power distribution companies.

K-Electric had sought a tariff increase of Rs0.297 per unit, which would have an impact of Rs1.38 billion for January-April 2020. K-Electric requested to complete the hearing of its petition and decision could be taken later. The regulator deferred its decision due to policy of the government not to increase prices of electricity till June 30.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2249067/2-nepra-investigate-load-shedding-karachi/

 

[finalfantasy7]

so for the Pakistan users - in your city/ village - how frequent is load shedding and roughly how long for ?


Any plans to build a power plant in sindh /Baluchistan???

 

[Abdullah719]

so for the Pakistan users - in your city/ village - how frequent is load shedding and roughly how long for ?


Any plans to build a power plant in sindh /Baluchistan???

I don't know about other cities but the situation appears to be quite grim in Karachi. You only need to head to K-Electric's social media pages to see the bloodbath... We haven't had too much of it in our part of DHA (yet) but afaik some of the other areas are VERY heavily affected.

Today:

===========

Prolonged power cuts spark protests in Karachi

Prolonged power outages sparked on Wednesday protests in multiple areas of Karachi.

People appear to have lost their temper over outages lasting even up to 24 hours in a few localities.

Residents of Lines Area and Abyssinia Lines took to the streets to protest massive load-shedding by the K-Electric.

The protesters blocked Shahrah-e-Quaideen, but reopened one of its tracks after talks with police and Rangers officials.

They ended the blockade after KE officials assured them that no power load management would be done at night.

A similar demonstration was staged outside the KE office in Malir on Tuesday, at which the protesters also complained about over-billing by the power distribution company.

The KE management maintained that the power cuts were caused by faults and tripping in areas with power theft.

The shortage of furnace oil and gas has also affected the company’s power generation capacity, they said.

https://www.samaa.tv/news/pakistan/2020/06/prolonged-power-cuts-spark-protests-in-karachi/

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Seems to get worse with every passing year with no solution ever to be seen in sight.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Seems to get worse with every passing year with no solution ever to be seen in sight.

Large parts of Punjab are getting better with load shedding down to very few hours a day. From what I hear, Sindh and especially Khi though is getting worse.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Large parts of Punjab are getting better with load shedding down to very few hours a day. From what I hear, Sindh and especially Khi though is getting worse.

Haven't heard it getting better in Punjab or all over the country in general either. As I said it just keeps getting worse every year.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Haven't heard it getting better in Punjab or all over the country in general either. As I said it just keeps getting worse every year.

I live in Lahore, it’s really good. I have friends in Multan, Faislabad who have said it is getting a little better

Might be wrong about elsewhere but lahore is quite decent

 

[King-Misbah]

I live in Lahore, it’s really good. I have friends in Multan, Faislabad who have said it is getting a little better

Might be wrong about elsewhere but lahore is quite decent

Load shedding also has improved in Northern Punjab. My family say load shedding has decreased as compared to previous years.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Just checked with a friend. She has 2 hours of load shedding every day in Lahore (during the summer these days)

 

[Abdullah719]

Anger and loathing as power outages disrupt people's lives in Karachi

With the mercury consecutively touching almost 40 degrees Celsius in Karachi since the past few days, the city’s residents found themselves in added misery as over 12-hours long unannounced power outages continued unabated.

Among areas most affected in the port city were Baldia Town, Lyari, Aurangzeb Town, Korangi, Landhi, Surjani Town, PIB Colony, Malir and Shah Faisal Colony.

The city’s power utility, Karachi Electric (KE), admitted to carrying out power outages in all areas, regardless of whether they’re exempted from the load shedding schedule.

Citing reasons for power outages, KE observed that shortage of furnace oil resulted in a shortfall in electricity production, and has compelled the company to rely on cheap electricity.

Owing to an increased demand of electricity in the city, systems have been badly affected, the power utility maintained. Technical faults including tripping of electricity feeders have become regular occurrences.

The power utility, late on Wednesday night, wrote on twitter that violent mobs had damaged their grid station and offices. “This endangers our teams and makes our job more difficult,” the tweet read, calling for citizens to bear with them.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250156/1-anger-loathing-power-outages-disrupt-peoples-lives-karachi/

 

[Abdullah719]

I have gotten two warnings for one-hour long power outages today. Hadn't been getting these previously so looks like this will become a more common occurrence now.

 

[Abdullah719]

SSGC slams K-Electric’s claims of supply shortage

KARACHI: Unannounced electricity load shedding has continued on Thursday in the provincial capital where load-shedding exempted electricity feeders also suffered power outages, ARY News reported.

According to details, load shedding up to 12 hours at a time is being observed in various places across the city.

Effected areas include Baldia Town, Lyari, Orangi, Korangi, Landhi, Surjani Town, PIB colony, Malir and Shah Faisal among others.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has claimed that the power regulating company K-Electric’s announcement of being deprived of designated quota of gas supply is false.

Spokesman SSGC said that K-Electric (KE) was being provided 240 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) worth of gas.

240 MMcfd includes an additional 50 MMcfd which was provided to the city despite shortage of the resource in the system, the spokesman said further.

Two days after KE’s demands were met it requested 50 MMcfd worth of more gas which would’ve totaled 290 MMcfd.

SSGC further claimed that the demand was upheld for 15 days in the wider interest of the people of Karachi whereas the institute is contractually obligated to provide an access of 10 MMcfd to KE but is providing 50 MMcfd additional to date.

https://arynews.tv/en/ssgc-slams-k-electrics-claims-of-supply-shortage/

 

[Abdullah719]

I have gotten two warnings for one-hour long power outages today. Hadn't been getting these previously so looks like this will become a more common occurrence now.

Update...

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/VMx2W3w.png" width="300">

 

[Abdullah719]

Karachi load shedding: Federal govt ready to provide additional 500 MW to KE

Amid reports of unannounced load shedding in the city of Karachi, the federal government has announced that it is ready to provide additional 500 MW from the National Grid.

A spokesperson of the Ministry of Energy said that the federal government is providing 800MW electricity to KE and is ready to provide an additional 500 MW from National Grid but the KE system physical constraints are a major hurdle in taking the additional electricity.

The spokesperson was of the view that it clearly indicates that system up-gradation on part of KE has not taken place at the appropriate level and with appropriate investment. The supply of LNG is available but on account of Article 158, only a limited quantity of LNG is being taken by KE. SSGC is providing a total of 250 - 290 MMCFD of gas including 75-100mmcfd of LNG.

Meanwhile, the Petroleum Division has made arrangements for the supply of 80 percent of Pakistan domestic RFO production to KE to run its power plants. In addition, the Federal Government has also made the arrangement for a supply of 30,000 tons of RFO from the storage of other power plants to immediately fulfill requirements of KE.

The spokesperson added that the Federal Cabinet has also allowed for Pakistan State Oil to float a Gallop International Tender to purchase RFO for KE, which has already been published. The Federal Cabinet also approved provision and allocation of 150 mmcfd of LNG for new power plants of KE, the construction of which will be completed by KE by next year in 2021.

https://www.brecorder.com/news/4000...govt-ready-to-provide-additional-500-mw-to-ke

 

[IAJ]

Update...

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/VMx2W3w.png" width="300">

At least you are a 'valued' customer. Abshir!

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: Power outages continued in the metropolis on Saturday night as Karachi’s power supplier K-Electric’s claim of ending load-shedding within “48 hours” is yet to materialise.

Areas in the city experienced 8 to 12 hours of persistent power outages, adding to the misery of residents already suffering from the sweltering temperatures.

Korangi, PECHS, Gulistan-e-Johar, Shah Faisal, Malir, Lyrai, Landhi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, FB Area were among the areas reported to have power outages. Other areas of the city were reported to be without power for three to seven hours throughout the day.

KE on Friday had assured authorities that it would end load-shedding in the metropolis in the next 48 hours after it was announced that the power company would be provided with an additional supply of gas and furnace oil.

The assurances were given to Governor Sindh Imran Ismail by CEO KE Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi in a meeting held today at the Governor House.

“Loadshedding will start reducing after 24 hours and will end in next 48 hrs,” Ismail had said after the meeting, adding that the federal government would provide additional furnace oil to KE.

He said that additional gas up to 100 mmcfd from the Sui Southern Gas Company will be provided to the KE to ease the pressure of furnace oil shortage.

Blame game
The issue of frequent power cuts, which was initially reported from the slum and underdeveloped areas of the city, has now engulfed the entire Karachi, including the upscale localities such as Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and PECHS.

The blame game between KE, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and federal and provincial governments have exacerbated without resolution over the last week.

Citing reasons behind the load-shedding, KE, the sole power supplier to the city, said that they had been receiving 50 mmcfd RLNG less from the SSGC while the peak demand had crossed 3,450 megawatts in the city with the furnace oil also short in the market.

The SSGC, however, categorically refuted the KE’s claim and said that it had been supplying an additional 50 mmcfd RLNG to the power utility.

During this tussle between the gas and power utilities, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh lambasted the federal government for the power crisis in the city, saying that it has been the latter’s incompetence that has deprived the Karachi residents of power during the lockdown period when the power consumption in factories and markets is already low.

The Sindh energy minister took strong notice of the load-shedding in the city and said it was the incompetence of the federal government that had been making the people of Karachi suffer.

“Who is responsible for the shortage of furnace oil and gas?” he asked and demanded an inquiry into the matter. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) should inquire into why the furnace oil was not imported before summer, Sheikh said.

 

[Abdullah719]

5 hours of power cuts from 10pm last night to noon today.

 

[Abdullah719]

Load shedding to prolong after KANUPP supply to KE suspended

The duration of load shedding is expected to prolong in some areas of the metropolis, after Karachi Nuclear Power Project (KANUPP) suspended the supply of 60 MW of electricity to K-Electric.

“Due to technical fault at KANUPP plant, power supply to parts of Karachi may be impacted due to resultant shortfall of 60MW,” informed KE spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that technical teams are working to fix the fault. “Load Management may be necessitated,” KE spokesperson added.

https://www.brecorder.com/news/40002684/load-shedding-to-prolong-after-kanupp-supply-to-ke-suspended

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">KE wants to present its USD 2 bn investment plan which will further strengthen the power infrastructure of Karachi over the next 3 years. These investments across generation, transmission & distribution will enable KE to power Karachi’s growth and prosperity into the future.</p>— KE (@KElectricPk) <a href="https://twitter.com/KElectricPk/status/1279326935118761985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

PTI lawmakers on Sunday urged the federal government to end K-Electric's (KE) "monopoly" by bringing in another company to distribute electricity in an effort to solve the power issues being faced by citizens living in the metropolis.

They also announced that they will stage sit-ins outside the KE's head office from Monday (tomorrow) on a daily basis.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi said that the city has been facing electricity issues for a long time.

"The citizens of Karachi are demanding cheap electricity," he said, demanding an equal rate of power in the whole country.

Rejecting the power utility's justification for prolonged power outages, Naqvi said that the KE was providing incorrect information and despite assuring the Sindh governor otherwise, had not ended load-shedding within 48 hours.

"KE's power [generation] capacity is restricted to 600MW," he said, adding that the power utility had also failed to maintain its plants.

"Citizens have become fed up with their attitude. The time has come to think about another system for power," he said, urging the federal government to resolve the city's power crisis. "Another company should be brought in to distribute power in Karachi."

Meanwhile, MNA Aftab Siddiqi said that initially KE's head had promised to end load-shedding on June 28, but when he was reminded of this, he failed to give a satisfactory response.

"The shortage of furnace oil has been resolved and there is no shortage of gas. Each year, citizens suffer such prolonged power outages.

"People are quarantined because of Covid-19, power outages are just adding to their problems," he said, adding that they wanted a definitive timeline for when load-shedding will come to an end.

He also said that KE had written a letter to the Sindh governor for giving a presentation. No representative will listen to any presentation from KE, he said. "All talks will be held in the presence of the public and the media."

He also demanded that the government's contract with KE should be made public and the power utility should put an end to over-billing. He said that they will approach the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority for an audit of KE and will also go to the SC against the power utility.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1567152/p...nother-company-to-resolve-karachis-power-woes

 

[Bewal Express]

Load shedding also has improved in Northern Punjab. My family say load shedding has decreased as compared to previous years.

Where are they? In Pothowar?

 

[Abdullah719]

'PTI to approach apex court against KE'

KARACHI: K-Electric (KE) must take responsibility for endangering the lives of Karachi's residents and stop unannounced load-shedding and overbilling, opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi during a sit-in outside the KE office on Tuesday, warning that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would approach the Supreme Court on the matter.

Naqvi stated that the PTI had issued a charge sheet against KE and urged the federal government to appoint a director for the power utility. He called for the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take a suo motu notice of load-shedding in Karachi, under section 184 of the Constitution.

PTI leader Haleem Adil Shaikh alleged that, "KE has been looting Karachi of billions of rupees and repaying it citizens with loading-shedding and deaths." He added that the power supply company was responsible for deaths during the heatwave. Adil announced to widen the protest and hold demonstartions outside KE's regional offices.

Speaking along similar lines, PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman dubbed KE "killer electric." He said that more power utilities must be established to end KE's monopoly. Zaman demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan sent relevant ministers to Karachi to discuss the issues regarding KE.

Grand Democratic Alliance MPA Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, who also attended the sit-in, stated that "the citizens [of Karachi] are facing electricity and water supply suspension in hot weather."

"Several protests have been staged against KE but the mafia ruling it is so influential that both the provincial and federal governments have failed to take any action against it," alleged Abbasi.

She maintained that KE had been demanding more land from the Sindh government under the mandate of setting up two new power plants, however the provincial government was not complying with this request. Claiming that the government provided land to all other institutions, Abbasi demanded that the KE, too, be provided the land.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253868/pti-to-approach-apex-court-against-ke

 

[Abdullah719]

Omar Ayub blames KE for not improving system, as govt to provide additional power

Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan has blamed K-Electric (KE) for not improving its system, which has lead to power outage issues in Karachi, saying that the government would help the company improve its capacity.

Responding to a calling attention notice, Omar Ayub Khan on Thursday said that the federal government has taken steps to improve the power supply in Karachi in order to address the problems of the people of the provincial capital.

Spoiler

The minister told the House, that they are providing an additional 100 megawatts of electricity to the KE, which is more than the contract agreement signed with it.

He added that 30,000 metric tons of furnace oil and 100 mmcfd gas have also been provided to the company. The minister added that the government will provide more gas to the KE, which will result in generating 200MW of electricity.

The Minister however regretted that the utility provider has failed to upgrade its system over the years, which has lead to constraints in taking up additional electricity from the national grid. He said the federal government will help KE to build its capacity.

Meanwhile, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar was of the view that the past governments did not pay attention to address the issue of load shedding in Karachi. He said the present government will implement the project to improve the power transmission and distribution system in Karachi.

https://www.brecorder.com/news/4000...ng-system-as-govt-to-provide-additional-power

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: CNG stations across Sindh will remain closed for 48 hours as the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) increases its gas supply to K-Electric, as the power crisis in Pakistan's largest city continues to test people's patience.

After Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the power crisis in Karachi on Thursday, the SSGC will supply an additional 40mmcfd gas to K-Electric. As per the contract between K-Electric and SSGC, the gas supply company is providing an additional 100mmcfd gas to K-Electric.

The power distribution company has complained of fuel adjustment for the increased hours of loadshedding throughout the city. The additional supply of gas to K-Electric means industries in Sindh will not be supplied gas for three days and CNG stations across the province will remain closed for 48 hours.

The Site Association of Trade and Industry and the All Pakistan CNG Association have termed the move by the SSGC as 'unacceptable', urging the government to review its decision. The two bodies said that power plants can also be run on furnace oil instead of gas.

On the other hand, the K-Electric spokesperson said that the power distribution company's management had met various trade organisations from Korangi, SITE and North Karachi to inform them about the issues being faced in supplying electricity to the city.

He said that power supply from the Kanupp power plant has been suspended since July 2 and IPPs are also supplying less power.

Read more: PM Imran takes notice of Karachi power crisis

Last month, the SSGC dismissed claims of reducing gas supply to KE and maintained that the supply had been increased from 50 million cubic feet (MMcf) to 240 MMcf.

"Despite a shortage of gas, more gas is being supplied to the power distributor," the SSGC spokesperson had said.

The intensity of power outages in the metropolis has risen in the past week and have made life miserable for Karachi's residents, already enduring a trying summer with temperatures sometimes crossing 40°C.

Enraged citizens have taken to the streets to protest against the prolonged outages.

Various neighbourhoods of Korangi and Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Liaquatabad, North Karachi, Kharadar, F B Area, Khadda Market, Lyari, and Orangi Town have been experiencing frequent power outages.

Residents found it increasingly difficult to stay indoors even as a lockdown was enforced in many parts due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Some areas, such as Liaquatabad C1, reported power restoration after an 18-hour long outage, only to be disrupted again.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/297249-ss...-electric-in-bid-to-end-karachis-power-crisis

 

[SensiblePakFan]

This happens Everytime it rains. Itll fix up in a week or so.

 

[Abdullah719]

We are not to blame for loadshedding: KE CEO

KARACHI: In typical fashion, the K-Electric maintains that the unannounced, unabated loadshedding in Karachi is not due to any fault of its own. "We are not to blame for the current situation of load shedding," said KE CEO Moonis Alvi during the public hearing held by NEPRA on Friday, which Alvi left periodically.

Amid outrage in the metropolis over upto 15 hours of loadshedding and inflated electricity bills, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) held a public hearing under its chairperson, Tauseef H Farooqi. All members of the regulatory authority and representatives of the power utility company attended the hearing, while citizens and other stakeholders were also invited to join via video link.

"The purpose of this hearing is to address the growing discontent of the people against KE," said Saifullah Chattha of NEPRA at the outset of the hearing.

Despite privitisation there is no improvement in KE, observed Farooqi.

Spoiler

'It's not on us'

Alvi maintained that the city experienced increased loadshedding due to the shortage of furnace oil and gas. He denied any responsibility on part of KE for the current situation. At present the power utility is getting 730MW of electricity from the national grid, he said, adding that the system may falter if more electricity is taken from the national grid. "We have no options other than furnace oil and gas for the production of electricity," he said.

KE had earlier cited similar reasons for excessive loadshedding in the city.

Deaths by electrocution

Joining the hearing via video link, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Aftab Siddiqui raised questions on KE's transmission network. "Six people died of electrocution during two days of rain. KE should be asked who is responsible for this," he said.

Scores of people were killed of electrocution in the metropolis during monsoon last year. The matter was brought up before the courts as well.

Meanwhile, PTI MPA in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim, who also joined via video link, noted that NEPRA has failed as a regulatory body. It has left Karachiites at the mercy of a monopolistic power utility company, he said. KE will have to answer as to how long it will take before the city is free of loadshedding, he demanded.

KE is failing us: NEPRA

Why wasn't the electricity demand taken into consideration by KE, asked Farooqi. "Whether or not you take responsibility, you are failing us. Despite privitisation KE is not improving," he said. The power utility's system has not been upgraded since the past 11 months, he noted, adding that even if the federal government provides excess electricity, the KE system would not be able to take it.

The federal energy ministry had earlier levelled the same accusation against the power utility company.

During the hearing, Farooqi directed KE to produce all details pertaining to the production and distribution of electricity. He observed that there is a decrease in the demand for electricity by 300MW to 400MW due to the closure of schools, colleges and marriage halls, and yet this situation has prevailed.

"What will happen once schools, colleges and marriage halls reopen," he asked.

Periodic absences from hearing

The hearing was punctuated by periodic absences of Alvi which irked the NEPRA chairperson. We are here to resolve a matter of public concern, he noted, adding that nobody's schedules were free but everyone had taken out time for the matter.

The CEO has gone to attend a meeting with the NPCC, said a KE representative on one instance of Alvi's departure from the hearing.

At another instance, Alvi said that he was receiving continuous calls from the ministry. He was told by Farooqi that he may not leave the hearing again till it is adjourned.

Passing the buck

The hearing continued against the backdrop of a blame game by Sindh, Centre and the power utility company. At the recent National Assembly session, the federal energy minister claimed that it would take at least two years for the Centre to resolve Karachi's power crisis. He held the previous governments of the PPP and the PML-N responsible for the current situation.

Sindh, meanwhile, has reminded that both NEPRA and KE fall under the federal government's jurisdiction. At the National Assembly session, a PPP lawmaker noted that the Centre could blame the previous governments in first few months after coming to power, but could not keep doing that after two years of being in office.

Last week, the federal government maintained its three-month-old decision to increase power tariff for KE consumers by 22.5 per cent from July, turning down a review request by the Ministry of Energy due to a heightened political temperature in the metropolitan city.

However, KE continues to circumvent questions pointing towards its failures to meet the city's electricity demands and to secure its system so as to avoid horrific fatalities during rainy seasons.

Amid all this the citizens of Karachi remain 'powerless'.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2254241/we-are-not-to-blame-for-loadshedding-ke-ceo

 

[Abdullah719]

Unscheduled load shedding in Karachi to end from tomorrow, promises Asad Umar

Spoiler

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Saturday assured the people of Karachi that there would be no "unannounced electricity load shedding" in the city from tomorrow (Sunday) after a decision to increase supply of furnace oil and gas to power utility K-Electric.

He was addressing the media alongside Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and K-Electric Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Moonis Alvi at a protest gathering by the PTI's Karachi chapter against continued load shedding in the metropolis.

Announcing decisions made during a "high-level meeting" of government officials and the power utility earlier today, Umar said:

"The petroleum division has increased the supply of furnace oil for KE and it will be increased further. Currently, 190 million cubic feet of gas is being supplied to KE. This has been increased to 290m cubic feet."

Umar said initially, a few dual-fire units of the power utility would be run on furnace oil, which would later be extended to all dual-fire units. However, the minister said increasing the supply of oil did not mean the petroleum ministry was at fault.

"The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is the regulatory authority. It completed a hearing today and will give its verdict later.

"Our purpose was to determine how to end unscheduled load shedding in Karachi. We have decided to increase the supply of gas as well as furnace oil to KE," he disclosed.

"[As a result of these decisions] there will be no unannounced load shedding in Karachi from tomorrow."

The minister said it was "unfortunate" that previous governments had signed agreements worth billions of dollars to increase power generation in Pakistan but did not take decisions as to how Karachi could benefit from increased power generation.

'70pc increase in power for Karachi'
Talking about steps the PTI government has taken in this regard, Umar said it had been decided in the past few months that an additional 550 megawatts of energy would be given to Karachi before next summer.

"Then there will be another 800MW increase before the summer of 2022 and another 800MW before the summer of 2023. Collectively, 2,150MW of additional energy will be given to Karachi by the summer of 2023," the minister claimed.

"This will be an almost 70 per cent increase in power generation compared to now," he said.

"KE is a private organisation and previous governments have privatised it and the power generation process. But Karachi has not been privatised," he said.

Umar added that he and the Sindh governor had told the KE chief that the federal government wanted to fully help the power utility to solve problems of the people in Karachi.

"But if you cannot solve them despite help, then we will not look the other way and will use the entire power of law to ensure that people of Karachi are not deprived," he warned.

The minister said that Nepra would release a report within three or four days and place responsibility on who was behind load shedding in the city. Responding to a question about compensation for those who died due to electrocution during last year's monsoon rains, he said Nepra would take a decision on that.

"The Centre is fully ready to help [the authority] implement its decision if needed."

Governor Ismail assured the people that the federal government was taking the electricity problem "very seriously".

"The meeting was very high level and included four federal ministers and MD KE among others," he said. He requested the protesters to end their protest while assuring them that there would be no unannounced load shedding from Monday.

Unannounced outages
Last month, Nepra had taken notice of complaints regarding continuing unannounced load shedding in Karachi and directed the power utility to submit a detailed report in this regard.

The body had also noted that inflated electricity bills were being charged to consumers.

The power regulatory authority had taken up the issue as many residents took to the streets to protest the power outages, blocking main roads and highways to bring the issue to the attention of the relevant authorities.

The ruling PTI too has launched a protest campaign and staged a sit-in outside the KE head office earlier this week to protest the "atrocities" of the power utility, demanding an end to its monopoly on electricity generation, transmission and distribution and vowing to approach Nepra and the Supreme Court against KE.

For its part, KE had attributed the power outages to fuel shortage, especially shortage of furnace oil, in the country.

"Over 70 per cent of Karachi, including industrial zones, is exempted from [load-shedding]. The ongoing fuel shortage is, however, leading to generation constraints. This has had an impact on K-Electric’s ability to meet the rising electricity demand on account of high temperatures," the power utility had said in a statement earlier.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1568351/u...rachi-to-end-from-tomorrow-promises-asad-umar

What about scheduled loadshedding though

 

[marlonbrowndo]

It was pretty awful for about 3 days for me. Other than that it goes about 5 hours a week which isn’t too bad

 

[Syed1]

In my area it went once for like 7 hours but I think that was a fault during recent rain.... Other than that it hardly ever goes or maybe 1-2 hours a day.



Probably helps that next door neighbor is SC judge

 

[Napa]

It was pretty awful for about 3 days for me. Other than that it goes about 5 hours a week which isn’t too bad

Is the use of generators as a backup supply common?

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Is the use of generators as a backup supply common?

Yeah quite common. We don’t really turn ours on anymore since we have a UPS which powers basic things like lights and fans and because power doesn’t go out too much anymore if at all

 

[Itachi]

Let me get this straight.

You, the Pakistani users complain about load shedding issues in Pakistan where as the current scenario is this???? From the posts in past, I thought it was way way more grave than actually it is. Seems like complaining has become a habit. Meh.

 

[Napa]

Yeah quite common. We don’t really turn ours on anymore since we have a UPS which powers basic things like lights and fans and because power doesn’t go out too much anymore if at all

We had a UPS (old fashioned lead acid battery) in our Delhi house too, at least the fans would work in the summer when the power went out. Generators though were not common. Since the government privatized the power distribution about ten years (or maybe more) ago, power outages became rare.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Let me get this straight.

You, the Pakistani users complain about load shedding issues in Pakistan where as the current scenario is this???? From the posts in past, I thought it was way way more grave than actually it is. Seems like complaining has become a habit. Meh.

whats it like in india

 

[Slog]

Let me get this straight.

You, the Pakistani users complain about load shedding issues in Pakistan where as the current scenario is this???? From the posts in past, I thought it was way way more grave than actually it is. Seems like complaining has become a habit. Meh.

Just because it’s better than before doesn’t mean you cannot complain lol.

Plus for last 3-4 years it was actually very good and there was minimal if any load shedding in Karachi atleast

It’s restarted in recent years

 

[King_Kohli]

whats it like in india

Severe Power shortage issues were there when I was a kid, almost 20 years back.
Now situation changed completely, no power shortages even in villages.

Not that bad

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Water and Power on Sunday categorically rejected K-Electric's (KE) version of not being supplied ample fuel to meet the energy demands of Karachi.

Earlier this week, KE CEO Moonis Alvi during a public hearing held by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) had said the company's plants ran out of oil due to which it had to resort to load shedding.

A spokesperson of the power ministry said that KE had acknowledged itself that it had been supplied 290mmcfd gas instead of 190mmcfd. He added that this was accepted by the KE representatives in front of the Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Planning Minister Asad Umar in a meeting on Saturday.

The spokesperson stated that it was wrong of the company to link prolonged power outages to lack of fuel supply at another forum. He added that the city’s sole power supplier had accepted that it generated 89% of power through fuel supply.

He alleged that KE had not made the required investment in its power distribution system due to which it was unable to receive electricity that was already generated, let alone generate its own from the supply of furnace oil.

The ministry's spokesperson reiterated that the Centre had offered to provide 1000MW to KE, adding that the company will have to build a 500KV grid and invest in its distribution system to receive the required amount of electricity.

KE chief says power utility 'cannot be blamed' for Karachi load shedding

A number of public representatives, technical experts, representatives of different entities, members of the business community, journalists and the consumers of Karachi participated in the public hearing of the Karachi load shedding crisis that took place a couple of days ago.

NEPRA Chairman Tauseef H Farooqui presided over the hearing and members of the authority from all four provinces also participated.

KE CEO Alvi told NEPRA that load-shedding in Karachi has experienced a rise since June 22.

“Under normal circumstances, load shedding in Karachi lasts between three to seven-and-a-half hours,” the KE chief had said.

Alvi added that Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had written to the federal government saying that the demand for furnace oil will not be met and had sought permission to import oil.

He said that KE’s plants ran out of oil and not only KE but the government’s thermal power plants, also faced supply shortages.

“PSO got permission to import oil for KE’s power plants after much delay,” Alvi had stated.

The KE chief had further said that due to increased demand for electricity in the summer, load shedding has to be done even in areas otherwise exempt.

“Our request for additional power from the national grid is never considered,” he had complained.

Alvi said that currently, KE takes 720MW to 730MW from the national grid.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/297587-power-ministry-rejects-kes-statement-on-fuel-shortage

 

[Abdullah719]

Centre to take over KE if performance not improved, warns Asad Umar

Spoiler

KARACHI: The K-Electric came under fire on Saturday when federal authorities rejected its claim that it was carrying out loadshedding in the city because of supply shortfall and warned that the federal government could take control of the power utility if it failed to improve its performance.

The warning came at a meeting jointly chaired by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar here at Governor House.

They came down hard on senior KE officials who briefed the key leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government about the reasons behind the recent power crisis.

The meeting was also attended by PTI legislators from Karachi and other members of the federal government through video link.

“The shortfall allows loadshedding just for an hour in the city but the KE keeps supply suspended for six and seven hours,” a statement quoted the Sindh governor as telling the KE, which claimed to have faced a shortfall of 250 megawatts.

“The federal government provided everything and met every demand of the company but it has badly failed to bring any improvement. The federal government still offers an additional supply to the KE from the national grid but its system cannot afford more than 720 megawatt,” he said.

He said the company over the years had not made any investment to build capacity and now the people were being punished for its ineffective policies.

‘KE is more concerned about profits’
“It seems the KE is more concerned about its profits instead of its consumers,” remarked the Sindh governor.

He added that the federal government was supplying 4,500 tonnes furnace oil to the company and it could offer another 500 tonnes. “If there’s the issue of gas pressure at the Bin Qasim Power Plant, it can be run on furnace oil,” he said.

Growing protests by political parties, heightening anger among consumers and persistent poor performance of the KE attracted the attention of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who on Thursday directed his team to meet the company’s management and fix the problems being faced by Karachiites.

The intervention from the top came after Sindh Governor Ismail met the prime minister in Islamabad the other day to brief the premier on the ongoing electricity crisis in Karachi and the situation that emerged across Sindh against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

Just a day after his directives, Federal Minister Umar landed in Karachi and held a meeting with the KE management along with the Sindh governor conveying serious warning to the power utility.

“The KE needs to plan for the future on a fast track,” he said. “The peak hour demand of Karachi stands at 3,500MW to 3,600MW. The KE has to plan to include 2,100MW in its system in the next three years. If situation doesn’t improve, the federal government would take over the KE,” came the point-blank warning.

The warning from the federal government came after weeks of protests by political parties, including the PTI which rules the centre.

With the Jamaat-i-Islami and Pak Sarzameen Party calling upon the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of unannounced loadshedding and overbilling by KE, the PTI for the last several days has been staging a sit-in outside the utility’s head office, demanding an end to its monopoly on electricity generation, transmission and distribution.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan — an ally of the PTI government at the centre — has also announced that its parliamentarians would hold a protest demonstration against KE in Islamabad on July 14.

At the Governor House meeting, the KE management also came up with its plans for the future and briefed about the reasons behind the recent crisis, which were mostly rejected by the federal government.

“The KE is supplying 2,950MW to the city and facing a shortfall of 250MW,” the statement quoted a KE official as telling the briefing. “By the end of next year, the KE would add 800MW in the system. The company also plans to add 800MW each in 2022 and 2023.”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1568389/centre-to-take-over-ke-if-performance-not-improved-warns-asad-umar

 

[Varun]

whats it like in india

Terrible in Bangalore.

BESCOM are a joke. Along with BWSSB. And BBMP. And the whole lot.

 

[Syed1]

Terrible in Bangalore.

BESCOM are a joke. Along with BWSSB. And BBMP. And the whole lot.

But [MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] said Bangalore is like a first world country

 

[Pakpak]

But [MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] said Bangalore is like a first world country

You can't be serious??? How are some posters so deluded

 

[Varun]

But [MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] said Bangalore is like a first world country

That's why he shifted bases 8,000 miles away from there.

Bangalore and first world? LOL.

 

[Napa]

But [MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] said Bangalore is like a first world country

Your English comprehension is weak, what I actually said was "India is a combo... a first world country (the tech hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai), a second world (the 2nd tier cities) and third world (migrant labor)."

It is hard for you to understand, as you come from a country that thanks to its Army domination of the economy is best known for exporting footballs, but in South Asia there are actually many salaried people who have first world lives, comparable to the US upper middle class. People who work in offices like this.



Or people who work for firms like this one.

"Goldman Sachs To Invest $1B in India in 3-4 Years"
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/a...t-1B-in-India-in-3-4-Years/23-05-2017-118705/

 

[finalfantasy7]

Terrible in Bangalore.

BESCOM are a joke. Along with BWSSB. And BBMP. And the whole lot.

roughly how many times in a day are people without electricity

 

[finalfantasy7]

Your English comprehension is weak, what I actually said was "India is a combo... a first world country (the tech hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai), a second world (the 2nd tier cities) and third world (migrant labor)."

It is hard for you to understand, as you come from a country that thanks to its Army domination of the economy is best known for exporting footballs, but in South Asia there are actually many salaried people who have first world lives, comparable to the US upper middle class. People who work in offices like this.

View attachment 102150

Or people who work for firms like this one.

"Goldman Sachs To Invest $1B in India in 3-4 Years"
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/a...t-1B-in-India-in-3-4-Years/23-05-2017-118705/

napa - a building doesnt make you a first world country

 

[Varun]

roughly how many times in a day are people without electricity

I'll let you relish the live updates on their Twitter handle:

https://twitter.com/NammaBESCOM

 

[Napa]

napa - a building doesnt make you a first world country

Buildings are part of the economy. The point is that the tech hubs provide the people who work in the tech companies and other companies like Goldman lives which are similar to first world lives. These are not people who are feudals, whose lifestyle is dependent upon exploiting their countrymen, but people who are highly paid because they produce value in their jobs. Of course the majority of Indians have second or third world lives, which is why I said India is a "combo".

 

[finalfantasy7]

I'll let you relish the live updates on their Twitter handle:

https://twitter.com/NammaBESCOM

thats serious, no power tweet every hour

 

[finalfantasy7]

Buildings are part of the economy. The point is that the tech hubs provide the people who work in the tech companies and other companies like Goldman lives which are similar to first world lives. These are not people who are feudals, whose lifestyle is dependent upon exploiting their countrymen, but people who are highly paid because they produce value in their jobs. Of course the majority of Indians have second or third world lives, which is why I said India is a "combo".

napa ur not making any sense, look the whole of sub continent is a 3rd world country- but they are improving

 

[Deewana Mastana]

K-Electric have been playing around with the people of Karachi for many years now.

Not to say that the rest of the country has not been great but going by the current situation it seems like in most of Punjab the load shedding situation is not as bad as it usually has been for decades but Karachi has just been getting worse with time.

I won't be surprised if the load shedding in Pakistan is worse than in India.

 

[Syed1]

Your English comprehension is weak, what I actually said was "India is a combo... a first world country (the tech hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai), a second world (the 2nd tier cities) and third world (migrant labor)."

It is hard for you to understand, as you come from a country that thanks to its Army domination of the economy is best known for exporting footballs, but in South Asia there are actually many salaried people who have first world lives, comparable to the US upper middle class. People who work in offices like this.

View attachment 102150

Or people who work for firms like this one.

"Goldman Sachs To Invest $1B in India in 3-4 Years"
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/a...t-1B-in-India-in-3-4-Years/23-05-2017-118705/

) old man didn't take your meds?


So working in a shiny building must be equivalent to being teleported to a first world country


I guess the people who live in these buildings in Karachi must be living in first world countries as well

 

[Bigboii]

Your English comprehension is weak, what I actually said was "India is a combo... a first world country (the tech hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai), a second world (the 2nd tier cities) and third world (migrant labor)."

It is hard for you to understand, as you come from a country that thanks to its Army domination of the economy is best known for exporting footballs, but in South Asia there are actually many salaried people who have first world lives, comparable to the US upper middle class. People who work in offices like this.

View attachment 102150

Or people who work for firms like this one.

"Goldman Sachs To Invest $1B in India in 3-4 Years"
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/a...t-1B-in-India-in-3-4-Years/23-05-2017-118705/

) ) ) are you serious bro? attaching pictures doesn't improve your arguments and if that was the standard than Astana would have been equivalent to NYC cause their buildings are next level

or hell even Pyongyang with its skyline become a first world country

 

[Slog]

Your English comprehension is weak, what I actually said was "India is a combo... a first world country (the tech hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai), a second world (the 2nd tier cities) and third world (migrant labor)."

It is hard for you to understand, as you come from a country that thanks to its Army domination of the economy is best known for exporting footballs, but in South Asia there are actually many salaried people who have first world lives, comparable to the US upper middle class. People who work in offices like this.

View attachment 102150

Or people who work for firms like this one.

"Goldman Sachs To Invest $1B in India in 3-4 Years"
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/a...t-1B-in-India-in-3-4-Years/23-05-2017-118705/

Lmaoo what heck! This is the funniest thing ever )

You either live in a first world country or you don’t? You don’t have part-first world countries. Lol this is so funny.

Have you seen Shenzen or Shanghai skylines? By that definition they uber-first world

Can’t believe you legitimately typed that in seriousness

 

[Napa]

Lmaoo what heck! This is the funniest thing ever )

You either live in a first world country or you don’t? You don’t have part-first world countries. Lol this is so funny.

Have you seen Shenzen or Shanghai skylines? By that definition they uber-first world

Can’t believe you legitimately typed that in seriousness

napa ur not making any sense, look the whole of sub continent is a 3rd world country- but they are improving

You can look at the subcontinent as homogenous, or you can look at parts of it being different from other parts. It is your choice.

"Google makes a $10 billion bet on India"

https://www.engadget.com/google-india-10-billion-103213441.html

Enough said

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Your English comprehension is weak, what I actually said was "India is a combo... a first world country (the tech hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai), a second world (the 2nd tier cities) and third world (migrant labor)."

It is hard for you to understand, as you come from a country that thanks to its Army domination of the economy is best known for exporting footballs, but in South Asia there are actually many salaried people who have first world lives, comparable to the US upper middle class. People who work in offices like this.

View attachment 102150

Or people who work for firms like this one.

"Goldman Sachs To Invest $1B in India in 3-4 Years"
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/a...t-1B-in-India-in-3-4-Years/23-05-2017-118705/

People who live in posh areas in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad also having living standards comparable to the US upper middle class. In fact you can argue with the domestic help that they have, their lives are better. I am no talking about feudals, but people with office jobs.

 

[Slog]

You can look at the subcontinent as homogenous, or you can look at parts of it being different from other parts. It is your choice.

"Google makes a $10 billion bet on India"

https://www.engadget.com/google-india-10-billion-103213441.html

Enough said

bad argument gonna remain bad argument

 

[Pakpak]

People who live in posh areas in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad also having living standards comparable to the US upper middle class. In fact you can argue with the domestic help that they have, their lives are better. I am no talking about feudals, but people with office jobs.

Someone show this guy some of the buildings in Karachi Islamabad and Lahore too. You'll find such buildings even in Nigeria

One of the most stupidest post I've seen on the internet.

 

[Varun]

Clearly ain't hard to spot the NRI on this thread.

 

[Abdullah719]

While this discussion about Bangalore being part of the first-world is undeniably fascinating, please stop derailing the thread. Thanks.

 

[Abdullah719]

Karachi sees 2-hour TV, internet outage as cable operators protest KE's 'high-handedness'

Residents across Karachi experienced a two-hour suspension of cable television and internet services on Monday evening after cable and internet operators announced a "token strike" against what they termed as the "high-handedness" of the K-Electric (KE).

The announcement of the protest against KE's alleged move to cut off cable and internet wires using its electricity poles was made at a joint press conference in Karachi of cable operators associations and internet service providers, led by Pakistan Cable Operators Association chairman Khalid Arain.

Arain announced that in order to protest KE's "oppressive measures", TV and broadband services would remain suspended in Karachi between 7pm and 9pm. He cautioned that if KE did not agree to their demands, the strike could be expanded to the entire country.

In a message sent to consumers, internet provider StormFiber said TV and internet would remain disabled in the city for two hours as per the Pakistan Telecommunication Access Provider Association's "protest against fiber damage by utility company".

Giving details of the conflict with KE, Arain said the power utility had held cable operators responsible for the deaths caused during last year's rains due to electrocution. Cable and internet providers had denied this charge because the fiber optic cables used by them do not carry any current, he added.

On the basis of its allegations, the KE "illegally" started cutting off cable operators' wires without any warning, Arain claimed.

He said cable operators were using electric poles to carry wires into people's houses across the country, but only Karachi's power utility had raised a complaint in this regard.

According to Arain, the Karachi commissioner at a meeting 10 months ago had directed KE to not cut the TV and internet cables until a "common corridor" is established, and the cable operators too had sought "appropriate" time to shift their infrastructure underground, but KE had proceeded to disconnect their wires anyway.

He said with the start of this year's monsoon rains, KE started to force the cable operators to "own" the deaths caused due to electrocution, but alleged that the actual problem was with the power utility's infrastructure because its poles were not properly earthed.

"TV and internet are a source of information and entertainment for Karachi's residents, especially during lockdowns, but that too is shut down in various areas due to KE's high-handedness," Arain said.

He added that the cable operators did not want a clash with KE, but wanted the company to give them time and agree on certain standard operating procedures (SOPs) until the cables are shifted underground.

The cable operators urged the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority Regulatory Authority (Pemra), National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and leaders of the ruling PTI to intervene in the matter and stop KE from disconnecting their wires.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1568781/k...s-cable-operators-protest-kes-high-handedness

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: The Karachi-Electric (KE) said Tuesday that certain areas of the city will experience loadshedding due to a technical fault in the Bin Qasim power plant.

KE spokesperson said that it was facing a 130-megawatt shortfall in electricity due to a technical fault that had occurred at the Bin Qasim Power Plant.

The spokesperson further said that the power generation ability of KE has decreased by 130-megawatts due to the fault, adding that there will be temporary load management in the affected areas.

The spokesperson stated that load management will be carried out in industrial areas to provide relief to residential areas. He further said that the load management’s advance notice has been sent and the schedule can also be accessed on KE’s website.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson also stated that they are in touch with the power ministry regarding the supply of furnace oil and assured that the temporary loadshedding will be finished when the fault is rectified.

No more loadshedding in Karachi, says Asad Umar
Federal minister Asad Umar had said earlier that loadshedding in the country would end by Sunday last week.

The announcement had come after a high-level meeting was held at the Sindh’s Governor House Saturday where the K-Electric management came under fire from Governor Imran Ismail and Umar over its failure to improve the power distribution network in the city.

Later, the minister and governor visited the protest camp outside K-Electric’s office and promised that there would no unannounced loadshedding in the metropolis from Sunday.

“The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has increased the gas supply to K-Electric to 290mmcf,” Umar had said.

The planning minister added the government would do its best to try to solve the issues of the public. “If the problems are not solved after this, we will take legal action. PTI did not sign any agreement with the KE. If a takeover is needed, that will be done,” he remarked.

Cable operators violated agreement

The spokesperson while talking about the cable and internet association stated that they violated an agreement under which they were supposed to lay their wires underground by July 2020.

The KE spokesperson stated that in the past there have been deaths during rains because of illegal internet and tv cables put up in various parts of the city.

KE stated that cable association had assured commissioner Karachi and other officials that they will remove their wires from KE’s polls, adding that the strike called by the cable and internet association was called to blackmail the company.

The All Pakistan Cable Operators and Internet Association held a token strike on Monday from 7pm to 9m.

The association in a press conference at the Karachi Press Club demanded time to lay their cables underground. The association said that they are providing TV channels and internet service at homes. Mostly for this purpose, the electricity poles of K-Electric (KE) are used. For this purpose, they pointed out that they have an understanding with the power utility.

With the assistance of the KE, the association said, they’re are providing services to their consumers. Several electrocution cases emerged last year after rainfall in the city. However, the KE held all the responsibility of the electrocutions on cable operators and internet service providers.

For the TV cable and internet cable service, the association said that they use fiber optics which is devoid of electricity and isn’t hazardous for life. Because of the power utility, which is on a spree of disconnecting the cables of association, they said that they’re facing millions of rupees loss. The association claimed to have informed the governor Sindh regarding their grievances.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/297930-ka...e-to-technical-fault-at-bin-qasim-power-plant

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Cable Operators Association Chairman Khalid Arain said on Tuesday that cable and internet operators will continue their strike against K-Electric (KE) by suspending cable television and internet services in five cities across Sindh to protest what they termed as the power utility's "stubborn attitude".

Speaking to Dawn.com, Arain said that that instead of suspending services for two hours, as was done on Monday, cable and internet operators will suspend services for three hours from 7pm to 10pm in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Larkana.

He stated that a meeting had taken place earlier today with Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ali Shallwani in order to resolve the issues between the two parties. "However, no KE representative attended the meeting," he claimed, adding that the commissioner directed the relevant authorities to facilitate cable operators in moving their wires underground.

He maintained that Karachi was a sprawling metropolis and cable and internet operators needed time — at least three years — to shift their systems. "We need time and KE is not giving us time," he said, adding that the suspension of services was continuing due to the power utility's "stubborn attitude".

He said that another meeting will take place with the Karachi commissioner tomorrow to resolve the issues between the two parties.

Meanwhile, Shallwani said that cable operators will start working as per the NOC issued by the commissioner's office and will "ensure that there are no loose cables on electricity poles" which can endanger the lives of the people.

'Cable operators failed to fulfill commitments'
On Monday night, KE had responded to cable and internet operators' "token strike" against the power utility's "high-handedness", saying that they had failed to shift their "illegal and unsafe wires to a safe underground system", despite making commitments.

In a press conference earlier in the day, Arain had announced that in order to protest KE's "oppressive measures", TV and broadband services would remain suspended in Karachi between 7pm and 9pm.

He had alleged that the power utility had cut cable and internet wires without prior warning, as it held cable operators responsible for the deaths caused during last year's rains due to electrocution.

In a series of tweets, KE "strongly reasserted its determination to continue its drive against [the] illegal encroachment of its infrastructure by TV and internet cables," calling them a "major safety hazard".

The power utility claimed that the Pakistan Telecommunication Access Provider Association (PTAPA) had assured local authorities that they will shift their "illegal and unsafe wires" underground. "The first phase of this project on 50 locations was supposed to be completed by July 20, 2020."

KE added that in "broader public interest", it had offered technical support to cable operators to ensure that the project was completed before the onset of the monsoon season. "However, despite the deadline, certain cable operators have failed in their commitments."

The power utility concluded its statement by saying that it was determined to take action against illegal cable TV and internet connections to ensure people's safety and asked citizens to support them in removing this "menace" from Karachi.

 

[finalfantasy7]

You can look at the subcontinent as homogenous, or you can look at parts of it being different from other parts. It is your choice.

"Google makes a $10 billion bet on India"

https://www.engadget.com/google-india-10-billion-103213441.html

Enough said

thats good investment by google, however how does this make india a first world country ???

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: Despite promises of eliminating load shedding in the city, Karachiites continue to brave power outages for several hours in several parts of the metropolis.

According to the power supplier, the power cuts in the city were due to 'load management'. Areas facing power cuts in the city include Defence, Clifton, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Johar.

Defence Phase V, Clifton Block 2 and 5, Boat Basin, Gulistan-e-Johar Block 19, 1 and 2 as well as the different areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal faced power outages.

KE said it is wrong to term the power cuts as “unannounced loadshedding” as they were temporary faults, saying that power was being supplied to other parts of the city.

Technical fault at Bin Qasim power plant
A day earlier the power supplier had said certain areas of the city would experience loadshedding due to a technical fault in the Bin Qasim power plant.

The spokesperson had further said that the power generation ability of KE has decreased by 130-megawatts due to the fault, adding that there will be temporary load management in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson had also stated that they are in touch with the power ministry regarding the supply of furnace oil and assured that the temporary load shedding will come to an end when the fault is rectified.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/298086-no...outages-continue-in-various-parts-of-the-city

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh on Friday told the Sindh Assembly that the entire province was facing severe loadshedding due to “incompetency and inefficiency” of the federal government that had stopped providing furnace oil to the power utilities at a time when oil prices had come down in the international market.

He was still giving a policy statement on the matter of public importance when the proceedings were marred by uproar and chaos as members of both the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf exchanged heated arguments on the loadshedding issue.

It all started when Opposition Leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi rose to protest over the criticism of the energy minister on the federal government for loadshedding while the former was still on his feet.

The situation then took an ugly turn when one of the treasury members shouted at the opposition leader, asking him to take his seat loudly and harshly.

Subsequently, opposition members belonging to PTI, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Grand Democratic Alliance also stood up starting a strong protest against “unmannered” attitude of the ruling party’s member.

Speaker Durrani adjourns the sitting due to ruckus caused by treasury, opposition lawmakers

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, who tried to calm down agitating members from both sides, had to adjourn the house with majority of business including privilege motions, adjournments, private bills, private resolutions, private motions and amendments in rules still to be tabled.

Taking jibes at each other, the lawmakers from both sides left the house as the speaker adjourned the sitting to Monday.

Giving the policy statement, Minister Sheikh vehemently criticised the federal government and Federal Minister for Power and Energy Omar Ayub Khan saying he didn’t bother to visit Sindh and hold meetings with departments concerned after electricity shortfall.

“This is a serious matter, the federal minister should come to Sindh and sit with all stakeholders including the provincial government, KE, Sukkur Electric Power Company and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company,” he demanded.

The energy minister also asked Mr Khan to tender an apology for calling the people of Sindh “electricity thieves”.

He termed the federal minister’s statement a conspiracy against unity of Pakistan asking him to stop considering people of Sindh as second-rate citizens as it was also a part of Pakistan.

Mr Sheikh said that the power utilities were carrying out up to 18 hours loadshedding in interior parts of the province.

“The federal government owns 27 per cent shares of the KE and its owners are donors of PTI,” he said and added that PTI members held a protest outside the KE’s office yet they were served tea and cakes by the power utility.

Question Hour

Replying to lawmakers’ written and verbal queries during the Question Hour session in the house, Transport and Mass Transit Minister Syed Awais Shah informed the provincial assembly that the Sindh government was the first provincial government in the country to have notified CNG usage rules in pursuance of the orders of the Supreme Court.

In reply to a written question of MQM-P member Mangla Sharma, he said that unfortunately the CNG usage rules were not being followed in letter and spirit.

Resultantly, he said, the transport department imposed a ban on usage of CNG as fuel in commercial vehicles in the intercity passenger transport vehicles and school vans for the safety of people and students.

The minister said that the local administration and secretaries of the district regional transport authorities were removing CNG cylinders from the vehicles operating on intercity routes and educational institutes’ vehicles in compliance with an order given by the Sindh High Court.

To another written question asked by Syeda Marvi Faseeh of the ruling PPP, the minister said that bus operators increased fare during Eid festivals.

“But the transport and mass transit department authorities are very conscious and taking strict action against the operators/owners of vehicles who were charging excessive fare from the passengers,” he said.

The minister, however, did not give satisfactory replies to the verbal questions asked by opposition members.

The opposition members wanted to know what action the department had taken against the school vans and public vehicles fitted with CNG cylinders.

He could only say that he had all the details with him and he could provide them to the members, but did not tell them how many cylinders were removed from school vans and public transport vehicles and the amount of fines imposed on them.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1570929/s...dshedding-due-to-centres-incompetence-pa-told

 

[Abdullah719]

Karachi power situation set to aggravate

ISLAMABAD: The power supply situation is set to aggravate, particularly in Karachi, as K-Electric’s financials deteriorate to an extent of its inability to pay fuel bills due to non-payment of subsidies and a freeze on tariff by the government while consumers brave intense humid conditions.

Senior official sources told Dawn that K-Electric had formally conveyed to the federal government that it was not in a position to make payments against gas and furnace oil supplies to the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and Pakistan State Oil (PSO), respectively.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1573561/karachi-power-situation-set-to-aggravate

 

[Abdullah719]

Not even a minute’s power outage will be tolerated in Karachi, warns CJP

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed while expressing anger over power outages in Karachi observed on Tuesday that the city should not be without electricity for even a minute.

The CJP’s observation came while presiding over cases at the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry.

K-Electric’s (K-E) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Moonis Alvi and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Chairman Tauseef Farooqi also appeared before the court.

Spoiler

KE’s counsel Abid Zubair told the court that the main reason behind power outages in the port city was power theft.

In response to the argument, CJP Ahmed asked the counsel why the power utility had yet not taken any action against those involved in power theft. “Have you come here to tell me that loadshedding is happening due to theft,” the CJP asked.

“I don’t want to hear this excuse again,” the judge asserted. The city should not witness even a minute’s loadshedding, he said, warning that if power outages continued the only places without electricity will be KE’s offices and homes of its officials.

The CJP further warned that he would suspend KE’s licence, asking NEPRA chairman what would be an alternative to KE, and why does the authority not take any action against the company.

According to NEPRA chairman, the authority does take action against KE, but they have obtained stay orders.

KE CEO Moonis Alvi replied that they had invested Rs2.5billion in 10 years, and added at least 1,000MW to the power system.

This earned Alvi, CJP Ahmed’s ire, who said that, “You people only talk and do no work.”

“Do you have any what people go through when small homes are without electricity the entire night?” the CJP inquired. “Women curse you,” he said. The CJP further observed that it seemed as if the people of Karachi were being made to pay for all the losses.

The chief justice called for getting a complete audit of KE done, and placing the name of its CEO on the Exit Control List (ECL), besides also registering cases where negligence is found.

In what appeared to be a reference to the company that owns KE, the chief justice said to Alvi that, “You people are defaulters all over the world. What happened to you in London? You were arrested and made to pay by all possible means,” the CJP observed.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/225900...outage-will-be-tolerated-in-karachi-warns-cjp

 

[Abdullah719]

Imagine being this besharam.

 

[Abdullah719]

Govt to take decision on K-Electric privatisation: Asad Umar

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Saturday said a decision will be made regarding whether K-Electric (K-E) should remain privatised or be handed over to the federal government.

Talking to media in Karachi, the federal minister said a meeting was held with K-Electric officials to discuss the situation in Karachi, adding that questions and concerns raised by the Supreme Court (SC) were discussed.

He further maintained that in the existing system, the regulator is not subject to the government. However, K-Electric’s license can be changed as per the order of the apex court.

He said the power issue was also discussed with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and added that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has the power to increase K-Electric’s tariffs, adding that the electricity rates in Karachi will remain the same as the rest of the country.

Referring to the drainage issue in the metropolis, the federal minister said encroachments were made on drains which caused problems during the monsoon showers.

“At the moment, Karachi does not want politics. It just wants to see work being done,” he said.

The federal minister recognized that the issues in the country are a result of lack of mutual communication.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2262636/govt-to-take-decision-on-k-electric-privatisation-asad-umar

 

[watson367]

K-Electric makes it seem like Wapda is run by saints.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The government has constituted a special committee to act as one-window operation for K-Electric and sought removal of the top leadership of the power utility over its alleged inability to ensure uninterrupted power supply and address disruptions within reasonable time after recent rains.

Highly placed sources said the government members on the K-Electric board of directors had pushed for the replacement of Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi and head of the distribution department with highly motivated professionals who could respond to difficult situations and ensure efficient service delivery. “The existing team did not take timely action,” an official said.

Read: Centre considering taking over management control of K-Electric

“All those responsible for the ongoing crisis and recent loss of lives should be taken to task and heads should roll,” said an official, adding that power division and ministry of energy believed that responsibility should be fixed in the matter of K-Electric as well on the pattern of distribution companies where CEOs are removed for non-performance.

Special committee formed to serve as one-window operation for power firm

The sources said the government had also separately taken up this demand with the chairman of the board. Asked as to how the board responded to the government demand for replacement of CEO and head of distribution, the official said things would slowly move towards that direction as a special committee would follow up.

The official said the board “endorsed all decisions taken earlier at a meeting presided over by federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan” and a four-member committee had been constituted as directed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Led by additional secretary for power Waseem Mukhtar, the committee comprised additional finance secretary Ahmad Mujtaba Memon, Chaudhry Khaqan Sadullah Khan and Rohail Mohammad.

The committee will meet on a weekly basis and review implementation status of various decisions taken by the federal government and the KE board.

KE officials did not comment on the development.

Separately, the Ministry of Energy on Monday formed another seven-member committee to look into the matter of K-Electric for one-window operation in line with the Supreme Court directives. The committee, headed by Additional Secretary Power Waseem Mukhtar, would consist of Additional Secretary Petroleum and representatives from National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), K-Electric, Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) and Power Division, a news release said.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Minister for Power and Petroleum Omar Ayub Khan, and attended among others by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Power Shahzad Qasim, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, Nepra Chairman Tauseef Faruqi, Power Secretary Omer Rasul, chairman and members of K-Electric Board, CPPA, NTDC and Power Division officials.

The committee would look into the matters of K-Electric and work under a mechanism of one-window operation to ensure provision of uninterrupted power supply to people of Karachi as per directives of the Supreme Court.

The energy minister directed the K-Electric to arrange pumps and other machinery for drainage of water from sub-stations of electricity in Karachi, besides preparing lists of all such stations where rain-water had converged.

The meeting also decided that Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) would increase gas pressure and supply to power plants operating in Korangi, which would help generate additional 100MW to 150MW power for K-Electric.

The NTDC assured the meeting that work on D-Line of Jamshoro would be expedited and completed by next year from where 400MW additional electricity would be provided to K-Electric through national grid. The Nepra chairman briefed the meeting about public hearing held in the light of Supreme Court directives and decisions taken to redress the grievances.

The power division had initiated coordination with the federal cabinet and the ministry of law over appointment of members of Nepra appellate tribunal and chairman as per the apex court directives. The cabinet division is seeking appointment of a retired judge and two members of the appellate tribunal on the nomination of Sindh and Balochistan. The power division had already written to the cabinet division for appointment of the Nepra appellate tribunal members and chairman.

The meeting also directed the K-Electric to increase coordination with provincial departments.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1578444/govt-move-to-replace-under-fire-ke-boss

 

[Abdullah719]

Netwalker ransomware hits Pakistan’s largest private power utility

K-Electric, the sole electricity provider for Karachi, Pakistan, has suffered a Netwalker ransomware attack that led to the disruption of billing and online services.

K-Electric is Pakistan’s largest power supplier, serving 2.5 million customers and employing over 10 thousand people.

Starting yesterday, K-Electric customers have been unable to access the online services for their account.

To resolve this issue, K-Electric appears to be trying to reroute users through a staging site, but are currently having difficulties.

Ransomware researcher Ransom Leaks, who told BleepingComputer about this attack, was tipped off by a local Pakistani security company that this attack is impacting K-Electric internal services.

According Rewterz, the cyberattack occurred on the morning of September 7th and is disrupting K-Electric’s online billing services and not the supply of power.

BleepingComputer has emailed K-Electric about this attack but has not heard back.

Netwalker is demanding a $3.8 million ransom
After being told about this attack, BleepingComputer has learned from cybersecurity sources who wish to remain anonymous that the Netwalker ransomware attacked K-Electric.

In a Tor payment page seen by BleepingComputer, the ransomware operators demand a $3,850,000 ransom payment. If a ransom is not paid within another seven days, the ransom will increase to $7.7 million.

The Tor payment site also includes a ‘Stolen data’ page that states the Netwalker operator stole unencrypted files from K-Electric before performing the attack. This page does not reveal how much or what data was stolen.

Since the summer of 2019, Netwalker has been actively infecting victims. It wasn’t until March 2020, when the threat actors began recruiting skilled hackers and focusing entirely on enterprise networks, that we began to see widespread attacks.

According to a report by McAfee, this change in tactics has led to the ransomware gang earning $25 million in just five months.

Recent Netwalker attacks include Argentina’s immigration offices, US government agencies, and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), who paid a $1.14 million ransom.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...hits-pakistans-largest-private-power-utility/

 

[Abdullah719]

Usual situation and blame game…

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">KE is currently receiving low Gas Pressure from SSGC, which has created up to 400MW Shortfall. KE's Furnace oil Power Plants are fully functional, supply gap will only be filled after Gas Pressure is restored to KE's Power Plants. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lowgaspressure?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lowgaspressure</a> <a href="https://t.co/1NZG4tMJ49">pic.twitter.com/1NZG4tMJ49</a></p>— KE (@KElectricPk) <a href="https://twitter.com/KElectricPk/status/1308772906789412865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

SSGC reply:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t_WZYEdN7kg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[FearlessRoar]

Pakistan government and K-Electric on Friday signed various agreements to address ‘long-term disputes’, quoting Power Division’s statement, ARY News reported.

According to the declaration issued by the power division, K-Electric and the Pakistan government signed various agreements including tariff differential subsidy, power purchasing agreement, and mediation agreement to help improve power supply and address the issues.

The meditation agreement will help in the clearance of dues between the K-Electric and the government.

Caretaker Minister for Energy, Muhammad Ali congratulated the people of Karachi on the landmark agreements between the Pakistan government and the city’s sole power provider.

The minister said the government is trying hard to create ease in the power sector.

On July 20, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) provisionally renewed K-Electric’s (KE) licence for six months.

K-Electric had requested NEPRA to renew the distribution licence for another 20 years as the current term expired on July 20, 2023.

K-Electric in its request to the NEPRA has stated that it is serving 3.4 million consumers and the licence renewal is in the interest of consumers and the power industry.

Source: ARY

K-Electric, Pakistan govt ink agreements to 'settle long-term disputes'

Pakistan government and K-Electric on Friday signed various agreements to address 'long-term disputes', quoting Power Division's statement, ARY News

arynews.tv

 

[BouncerGuy]

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday granted a non-exclusive distribution licence and a supplier-of-last-resort (SoLR) licence to K-Electric Ltd (KEL) both for 20 years, valid until Jan 18, 2044.

The non-exclusive distribution licence to KEL means that smaller private power distribution companies with a licence from Nepra would be allowed into the power distribution and sale business, particularly in housing societies and colonies but their default or inability to ensure power supply to consumers would shift the rights, responsibilities and benefits of the power supply to KE under the SoLR.

KEL’s previous 20-year distribution licence had expired in July 2023 and Nepra had allowed an interim licence for six months. The extension in distribution licence and award of SoLR for the next 20 years came about after the majority of consumer groups from Karachi supported KEL’s request in the interest of continuity and better service delivery with the utility’s commitment for Rs484bn future investment.

There were also consumer groups who opposed the licences to KE for alleged poor performance and expensive power because of old plants and suggested the term of licence should be for 3-5 years and extension linked to performance targets.

They said the KEL had not been able to enhance its generation capacity and still heavily dependent on supply from the national grid and its basket was heavily skewed towards imported fuel. They also pointed out that KEL had failed to pass on various reliefs allowed by the regulator relating to the clawback mechanism and has approached the courts.

Nepra also noted that it was “of the considered opinion that the performance of KEL is not up to the mark when compared to best industry practices worldwide as well as of the region” but said it was also a “fact that KEL is one of the top-performing Disco(s) when compared with its peers”.

Moreover, Nepra was also “of the view that despite being below par, there is no other option but KEL having a licence for distribution business”.

To address concerns of the adverse voices, the regulator asked the KEL to adhere to the Nepra Act, rules & regulations and all the applicable documents.

“Moreover, KEL shall improve its performance for the service delivery to its consumers including but not limited to the achievement of targets given for the reduction in line losses in the Multi-Year Tariff (MYT), improvement in reduced time for new connection and expansion in IT intervention to make the process more transparent and consumer-friendly”.

It said the distribution licence could not be given for a shorter term under the rules passed by the government stipulating the minimum term of such licence to be 20 years. The distribution licence allows a power company to engage in the distribution of electric power to the consumers in its service territory on a non-exclusive basis. KEL is the only vertically integrated electric supply company in the country providing utility services to the entire metropolitan city of Karachi and its suburbs up to Dhabeji and Gharo in the province of Sindh and over Hub, Uthal, Winder and Bela in the province of Balochistan.

The regulator noted that KEL had promised to meet the future power demand it was diligently pursuing an increase in Interconnection Capacity to off-take additional power from the national grid, addition of local coal-based plants including options for conversion of imported coal projects to local coal and addition of 1,282mw of renewable projects.

Nepra has already granted SoLRs and non-exclusive distribution licences to ex-Wapda distribution companies on similar grounds.

SOURCE: DAWN NEWS​