KARACHI: Federal Minister of Water and Power Khawaja Asif launched on Monday K-Electric’s TP-1,000, a $400 million investment project that would add 1,000MVA to the transmission and distribution system, at the KE’s Combine Cycle Power Plant in Korangi, where he stressed the need to conserve energy.

“With so much focus on generation, it is good to see some investment going into infrastructure as well. But all this infrastructure development for better power generation would be of no use if you don’t pay attention to conservation. After all, we don’t have unlimited resources of energy,” the minister said.

“Do you realise, you can get free electricity just by conserving energy? The KE should also initiate a very rigorous conservation programme for their industrial, commercial and domestic consumers, which is the need of the hour,” he said.

“We are a nation of extravagant people. See how we waste water, power and gas. We wash our cars with drinking water. Our shops remain open till 2am and during the day we shun natural sunlight by drawing curtains and window blinds closed to turn on the lights! Until we change our patterns and behaviour, all these efforts of generating power, etc, are going to go to waste,” he said.

“Our rivers will go dry and our resources will vanish if we can’t act responsibly. What about reuse? What about treatment plants? Reservoirs? In future, big wars will be fought over water. We cannot afford to waste whatever is available to us. We cannot afford to destroy what is available to us. We need to introduce a new paradigm in Pakistan where doing right for the country should not be stopped by thoughts of offending this businessman or that. The KE should come up with a comprehensive new policy for conservation of energy.”

The TP-1,000 Transmission Enha­ncement Plan is said to ensure a smoother and more reliable supply of power to K-Electric customers in Karachi and its adjoining areas. The project in collaboration with Siemens Germany/Pakistan and Shanghai Electric of China is part of the overall future investment plan of $2.2 billion by the KE.

Giving details of the project, Dale Sinclair, the project director, said it would ensure a smoother and more reliable supply of power to KE customers in Karachi and its adjoining areas.

KE CEO Tayyab Tareen said that through the $400 million investment project they would be seeing an addition of eight new grid stations comprising 220kV and 132kV network, bay extensions, six new auto transformers, efficiency expansion plan for 21 existing grid stations, which will include an addition of 30 power transformers and more than 400 new 11kV feeders to cater to the grid growth.

“Ten new 220kV and 132kV double and single circuit transmission lines of about 130km would also be laid out whereas three existing 220kV and 132kV transmission circuits would be rehabilitated to increase the current carrying capacity and reliability. An additional disaster recovery centre would help cope with emergency situations whereas new transmission lines, circuits and grids would help decrease the fault ratio and increase reliability and supply of electricity,” the CEO said.

Chairman of the KE’s board of directors Waqar Hassan Siddique also said that Karachi being the economic hub of Pakistan experienced ever-increasing power demands and the KE was obligated to meet those challenges. “KESC is a 106-year-old company. We came to it only six years ago in 2009 but we are as committed as the people who started this company,” he said.

Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in Pakistan energy was the main issue after law and order. He also said that Sindh was a lucky province as it had natural energy resources such as coal and gas.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2015