|
11 January 2007 - The Pakistan government has drawn up a plan to generate an additional 500 MW of electricity though the supply of extra gas to power plants to avoid the need for load shedding, according to a report in the Khaleej Times.
The decision has been taken to divert as an interim measure natural gas from Sindh to the Kot Addu thermal power station in Punjab to produce 500 MW of additional electricity.
The arrangement, which was worked out at a meeting presided over by the Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Jatoi, was later endorsed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
No solution, however, was reached on the power shortfall of 1000 MW-2000 MW that Pakistan is expected to experience in the summer months. In this period the overall system demand is forecast to rise to 14,500 MW.
Twenty five MMcfd of gas currently being supplied to the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) by Sui Southern Gas Company Limited will be immediately diverted to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, through the integrated gas transmission system, for supply to the Kot Addu thermal station.
KESC will use high sulphur fuel oil to meet its shortfall arising from its gas contribution to the Water and Power Development Authority (WPDA).
Longer term, 20-25 MMCFD of gas from the industrial sector will be diverted to Kot Addu. The total gas supplies to the thermal power plant will be enhanced to 82 MMcfd to produce the additional 500 MW, and taking its total production to 1200 MW.
WPDA is also expected to make minor adjustments at its thermal power stations in Sindh to enable the use of furnace oil for electricity generation.
Furthermore, hydropower supplies are expected be increased through adjustments in water discharge from the country's dams.
Both measures will help to reduce immediate shortages to less than 200 MW, which could be adjusted without applying countrywide load shedding in the short term period.
| 
Articles 
| View all PennWell sites | View all PennWell events
Add RSS Feed
