Asad Umar promises end to unscheduled load-shedding in Karachi

Unscheduled power outages by K-Electric will come to an end from tomorrow onward, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar promised.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said that the Petroleum Division will increase its previous supply of 190 standard cubic feet gas to 290 cubic feet. “This means that an added 100 standard cubic feet of gas will be provided to K-Electric every day,” the minister explained.

The units of the company near Bin Qasim will be run on furnace oil within a few days and the supply of oil has been increased by the division.

Umar clarified that the development does not imply that the Petroleum Division was at fault. “For that we have a separate forum, NEPRA, which will decide who was actually at fault,” he said.

Their government’s aim today was to decide how to end unscheduled and uninformed load-shedding. “After these decisions, from tomorrow onward, Karachi will be free of load-shedding,” the minister said, adding that the electricity supply will be increased by 70%.

Umar said next year, before summer 2021, additional electricity of 550 megawatts will be generated. In the summer of 2022, 800 megawatts more will be provided to the city. “So in total, by 2022, 1,350 megawatts of electricity will be increased in the megapolis,” he said, adding that the cabinet committee on energy has already decided this.

The minister said that although K-Electric has been privatised, Karachi, however, has not been privatised. The federal government will always work for the residents of the city, he assured.

Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/news/pakistan/2020/07/asad-umar-load-shedding-karachi/