Power situation: fake news must be replaced by the truth — II

In line with the government’s directive to enforce efficient utilization of economical domestic gas with high thermal efficiency design, Karachi DHA had “arranged” a power desalination plant two decades back to become a showcase for Karachi’s solution of civic problems relating to shortage of power and water. What really happened to this wonderful project is a long tale of greed and corruption which ensured total failure of this power-desalination plant! How is it possible that a multinational company managed to escape all responsibilities and the country lost a very good opportunity to ensure good planning for Karachi, with economical solution to get both power and water?

The world is all about meeting the essential requirements of inhabitants, providing economical power and clean water, with due energy conservation and environmental protection and here, we ensured total failure (the only ignominious project to be so) due to utter greed and corruption.

Combined cycle power plants are considered most efficient and ensure economical power generation if, of course, the fuel cost is genuinely controlled. In our case, there is no regulatory control, which would ensure that the power plant is actually operated efficiently which would provide dual benefits of lower cost of power generation and lesser damage to the environment. Since all gas turbines, as part of combined cycle power plant, lose capacity and efficiency with rise in ambient temperature and altitude, there are technologies available to increase the efficiency, and thus reduce fuel consumption but Nepra has never ensured highest possible efficiency to reduce cost of generation. The earlier owners of KESC – now K-Electric – had installed such system to increase both power generation and efficiency at Korangi plant but they actually removed this installation and ensured higher fuel consumption and lower summer capacity with no action from Nepra. How is it possible that KE is allowed higher tariff due to their decision to operate the plant inefficiently and then, actually reduce capacity and increase load-shedding?

There is no further time to delay all possible actions for efficiency/cost reductions and yet we are totally oblivious of our responsibilities. We have lost time and it will be difficult to enforce energy efficiency under the present conditions of total callousness but really, there is no option. The sooner we accept the energy efficiency/conservation option, the better for the country.

Karachi Ainul Abedin