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200MW gap between supply, demand: KESC to resort to loadshedding

KARACHI: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation is resorting to load shedding in the city due to shortage of power a KESC spokesman announced here Monday.

According to the spokesman the power demand in the city due to excessive summer heat during the evening peak hours has reached to 1450 M.W. while KESC's generation capacity at present is about 1250 M.W.

Wapda , he said, is also not exporting power to KESC in the current summer season and to meet the power requirements, KESC has been forced to resort to the load shedding to the tune of 30 to 40 M.W. during day time in residential areas and about 150 to 200 M.W. load shedding in evening peak hours (7.00 P.M. to 11.00 P.M) in industrial areas.

In this regard, the KESC spokesman pointed out that during the last summer season, Wapda used to exported about 200 to 300 M.W. power to KESC. But this year Wapda has so far not provided more than 50 M.W.

However the spokesman expressed the hope that with the commissioning of KESCs under construction 210 M.W. unit No 6 at Bin Qasim power station by July this year, or after receiving power from private sector power plants through Wapda by the middle of this year KESC will be in a position on to overcome the power shortage and discontinue loadshedding in the city.

The spokesman has regretted for the inconvenience caused to the consumers during the present heat spell due to load shedding. -APP