Power shortfall increases to 5,000MW

M RAFIQUD GORAYA

LAHORE: The electricity shortfall between demand and production has shot up to 5,000 MW owing to sharp drop in the hydel power generation after substantial reduction in water outflows from the Tarbela and Mangla dams to pave way for a month long annual desilting of irrigation canals across the country.

Irrigation and power sector sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that hydel power generation from the Tarbela hydel units has come down to 1,500MW from 3,400MW as water outflow from the dam has been reduced to 20,000 cusecs from last week's daily releases of 35,000 cusecs.

Similarly, they said hydel power contribution by the Mangla generating units has fallen to 400MW against their capacity of 1,100MW as downstream water discharges have been curtailed to 10,000 cusecs against the regular outflow of 30,000 cusecs a few days earlier.

The Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) spokesman Javed Ahmad Khan told this scribe that presently LESCO is facing electricity shortfall  of 1000MW in demand and supply which is being met by 8 hours power shutdown in cities and 11 hours loadshedding in the  rural areas.

PEPCO national grid was supplying about 1,300MW electricity to LESCO against the consumers' demand of 2,300MW during the severe cold and dry weather in the region.

He said that millions of domestic, industrial, commercial and agriculture sector consumers have been hit hard by the prolonged electricity outages in the LESCO jurisdiction which extends to five districts of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Okara and Qasur.