Exporters apprehend losing markets due to power outages

Industrialists have expressed concern over load-shedding in industrial areas which will certainly have serious negative impact on industrial production which is the job-crating backbone of this commercial and port city. They urged K-Eclectic to immediately restore power to all the indusial areas of the city as the load-shedding would cause irreparable loss to the economy and many industries would not be able to complete exports orders on time.
Industrialists also warned that if they once lose their hard-earned export markets that would be captured by the competitor countries. They said small industries usually run during daytime but due to load-shedding they are now forced to cut their production. They apprehended this kind of situation might lead to collapse of industries in Karachi, which generates huge revenue and provide employment to hundreds of thousands of people. They cited that the authorities had repeatedly claimed that load-shedding would be wiped out but the situation of the ground was contrary to the slogans.
They said that load-shedding would increase by the passage of time as the tussle between K-Electric and SSGC has intensified. They urged that blame game should end immediately so that the K-Electric could operate with full capacity to reduce the sufferings of the masses.
President of Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBAATI) M Babar Khan and chairman of its power sub committee Masroor Alvi expressed deep concern over load-shedding in their area which was severely affecting the working of industries. They said industries in Federal B Industrial Area are primarily exporters and any interruption in supply of power adversely affect export targets. They said it was detrimental for the economy. They urged concerned authorities to urgently resolve whatever issues they have, so that electric power supply to industries is normalized at the earliest.
Former President of Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) Rasheed Jan Mohammad said that most of the new power pants that K-Eclectic had added to its fleet were reliant solely on gas supply for their operations. He exclaimed without a reliable and adequate supply, how they could expect the utility to perform and cater to the demand.
"Situation has been further aggravated by the arrival of summer, which is causing an overall increase in the electricity usage across all sectors," he said, adding that it would add further distress on the system with a rise in load-shedding.
As the collective voice of one of Karachi's major industrial association, BQATI fear an increase in forced outage in the coming days. He demanded gas supply levels must be raised to ensure K-Eclectic fully utilize its generators' capacity and cater to growing demand.