|
|
| ‘Musharraf rule has created energy crisis’
F.P. Report |
|
| ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Senator and chairman PPP Power and Energy Policy Subcommittee, Javaid Laghari has said that due to the failed policy and poor planning of the Musharraf regime, 2008 will yet become the third consecutive year where the nation will see intense load shedding.
In a statement senator Javaid Laghari said that power shortage, which averaged at 2500 MW in 2007, will increase to over 3000 MW in January 2008 due to the already declined supplies of water, gas and oil, which are the main drivers of electricity in Pakistan.
As the demand for power will rise further as summer months approach, the nation should brace itself to bear further load shedding with power shortage rising to over 6000 MW causing over three hours of load shedding in the cities and over four to six in the rural areas, while some parts of the country may not see power for up to twelve hours at a stretch.
Senator Laghari said that WAPDA is facing Rs. 200 billion deficit because of poor government policy and is cash starved to the tune of one billion dollar to fund some of its projects, including the Neelum-Jhehlum hydropower project.
The nation is already suffering due to the government not been able to muster up enough supply of furnace and diesel oil.
Senator Laghari said that while normally a minimum of 21 days supply is maintained, Pakistan today has only 4,6 and 2 days total stock of Kerosene, high speed diesel and light diesel oil respectively.
Senator Javaid Laghari said that the present per capita electricity consumption Pakistan is about one tenth of world average. World Bank has estimated average power shortage of about 5500 MW in two years tile, which may peak to over 10,000 MW depending on economic growth and development under a development government.
He said that these figures suggest that the country is most likely to face a severe energy crisis that will last for the next five years. The seed planted by the Musharraf regime would have to be borne by the next government.
He said that smaller hydroelectric dams, which are abandoned by the previous regimes, would be strongly encouraged and built under the renewable energy policy to overcome the energy crisis. |
|
|