Power loadshedding: PTI presents 'solutions'

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has on Saturday proposed solutions to deal with prevailing power crisis and guaranteed that loadshedding can be reduced to a few hours within a week.

While addressing a press conference, Jahangir Khan Tareen, head of PTI policy and planning cell, presented policy solutions to deal with the ongoing power crisis in the country which has paralyzed the entire nation.  He said 210MMCFD gas should be diverted to power sector on urgent basis to curtail unprecedented load shedding. He also said the government should increase liquidity (around Rs.80 billion) to deal with the circular debt so that furnace oil is available to the power plants. He also suggested that power generation can be increased by 1,000MW immediately by releasing water from Mangla and Tarbela dams and the water will not be wasted, as it is required for sowing of kharif crop in both Sindh and Punjab. "Implementing these steps on urgent basis can increase power generation by 3,000MW and reduce the future circular debt. These steps are manageable in one week," he added.

Tareen also proposed medium-term solutions, which include bringing down line losses from 20 percent to 10 percent, increasing collection to 95 percent and convert 4,500MW from furnace oil to coal. "Undertaking the proposed solutions will enable the government to save Rs.475 billion every year," he added.

Criticising the PPP government, he said it has doubled the tariff in the last four years and spent Rs.1 trillion in subsidy but the situation has continued to deteriorate. "Circular debt has swelled to Rs.450 billion and load shedding has become unbearable," he added.

He warned that unless governance is fixed, losses are reduced and cost of generating electricity comes down, the vicious circle of higher tariffs and more circular debt will continue. "The PTI is deeply concerned for the people of Pakistan and hence we offer our solutions to the government to deal with the crisis," he added.