Outstanding dues: PSO halts supply to power companies

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Outstanding dues: PSO halts supply to power companies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) halted the supply of oil to power companies due to the non-payment of bills, Express 24/7 reported on Sunday.

The power shortfall has reached 8,900 hundred megawatts across the country.
According to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), power generation is only 7,500 megawatts while consumption is more than 17,000 seventeen megawatts.

Independent power producers (IPPs) have shut down their power plants due to the suspension of fuel.
Meanwhile, PSO has suspended the supply of oil to all government and private power companies due to the non-payment of bills on the due date.

Loadshedding hours have consequently been extended, resulting in protests across the country.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday called for a National Energy Conference to discuss the power crisis the country is facing currently.

The energy conference has been called to devise a strategy for overcoming loadshedding in the country as well as to look for new avenues for energy production.

PSO currently has Rs155 billion in outstanding receivables from its power sector clients, who have been unable to pay the company because the government in turn has been unable to keep pace on the payments it owes the power companies for the electricity subsidies that Islamabad has a habit of promising.

However, PSO’s government shareholders continue to compel the company to keep supplying oil to the independent power producers, despite the fact that the IPPs are well beyond their credit limits.

 

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Severe power crisis: PM Gilani calls for energy conference

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called for a National Energy Conference on Monday to discuss the power crisis the country is facing currently, reported Express 24/7 Sunday.

The energy conference has been called to devise a strategy for overcoming loadshedding in the country as well as to look for new avenues for energy production.

The Ministry of Water and Power has forwarded suggestions to overcome the energy crisis which are also likely to be discussed during the meeting.

The suggestions include suspension of power supply to commercial users at 8pm daily as well as to have two weekly off days.
The provincial chief ministers have been invited to attend the conference and the provinces are likely to be convinced to undertake joint ventures for electricity generation.

Protests in Punjab over loadshedding

The residents of several cities of Punjab protested on Sunday against the unscheduled and prolonged power cuts as the loadshedding reached to 18-22 hours in various areas. Angry protesters attacked government offices and burned their furniture and other equipments in several cities of the province on Saturday.

Lahore city is facing the worst power outages due to the closure of 25 grid stations. Meanwhile, the residents protested against six hours of continuous loadshedding in Misri Shah and its adjoining areas.

The residents of Faisalabad and its adjacent areas also protested at Samundari and Narwala roads and burnt tires in front of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s house.
The police managed to control the situation but the protesters attacked the policemen urging them to escape from the area.
At Narwala road, protesters damaged two motorbikes, a few vehicles and a truck. They also chanted slogans against the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) for not telling them in advance about the persistent loadshedding.

Faisalabad city is facing up to 18 hours of loadshedding while the duration in industrial areas is 16 hours. In the rural areas, the duration of power outages has reached 22 hours.

Around 14 hour loadshedding was reported in Bahawalpur, Vehari, Hasilpur, and its adjoining areas. In Gujrat, the students staged a sit-in for three hours against the unscheduled loadshedding.

Earlier, the residents of Gujranwala also blocked the main road disrupting the flow of traffic in a protest against the unscheduled loadshedding in the area.

The protesters gathered in Satellite Town area and chanted slogans against the authorities. They said that the unscheduled power cuts have made their lives miserable.

They also stormed into the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) office and raised slogans against the officials.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abdul Qayyum Gondal was tortured by the protesters when the police tried to disperse them. Gondal was shifted to a hospital.

Residents of Sindh take to streets against loadshedding

The ongoing energy crisis in the country has left people with no choice but to take to the streets against the prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding across the country.

People of Karachi are braving power-cuts up to 18 hours a day despite additional gas being supplied to the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC).

According to details, KESC is being supplied with 15 MMCF of additional gas on the instructions of Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain.

The spokesman for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) claimed that KESC is being supplied with additional gas despite it owing more than Rs31 billion to SSGC.

Meanwhile, the KESC spokesperson said that the additional gas will be utilized to reduce the loadshedding timings of residential areas.

Businesses and industrial units in the city are also being badly affected from the power breakdown along with the residential areas

Are you kidding me? Running generators for such a long power cuts will drain your wallet. These are major cities not even villages. How are you managing there?

It seems Pakistan is literally going into dark ages.