KARACHI: The city would get an additional 450 megawatts of electricity this summer as the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) has completed upgrade of 130km-long 220-kilowatt double-circuit transmission line between Jamshoro and KDA Scheme-33 of Karachi, an official announcement said on Saturday.

Federal Minister for Power, Petroleum and Nat­u­ral Resources Omar Ayub Khan took to Twitter to share the “achievement” calling it “good news for Karachi for coming summer” and gave credit to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

The development, he said, would make collectively 1,100MW available to Karachiites in the approaching summer season.

“Alhamdulliah another achievement of PTI Govt and good news for Karachi for coming summer to get additional 450MW as NTDC has completed the rehabilitation/upgradation of the existing 220 kV double circuit transmission line (130 km long) from Jamshoro to KDA-33 through 132 kV network,” he tweeted.

“Thus, a maximum of 1,100MW power supply shall be available from 500 kV & 220 kV network in addition to 150MW from wind generation during summer months from national grid for KE which shall significantly improve power supply position for the city of Karachi. The dedicated and coordinated efforts of NTDC and KE teams are highly appreciated in achieving this milestone in a timely manner. This has been done by the federal government to the people of Karachi for the summer season, especially before the holy month of Ramzan.”

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) earlier this month approved a tripartite power purchase agreement (TPPA) among K-Electric, NTDC and Central Power Purchase Agency (CPPA) for 150MW additional power supply to Karachi from the national grid. Under the TPPA, power generation of 50MW each from wind power plants of Tenaga, Zephyr and Hydro China Dawood will be supplied to KE through the national grid.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet had already approved the additional 150MW power supply to Karachi. The ECC had “decided that this arrangement is completely separate and would have no nexus whatsoever to the existing agreement for supply of 650MW by NTDC to KE”.

Nepra had also provisionally cleared the agreement subject to a clear mechanism for treatment of non-project missed volumes (NPMV). However, KE later reported to the regulator that detailed methodology for NPMV allocation either to the Karachi-based power utility or the NTDC network would be agreed separately as part of operating procedures to be developed by an operating committee as required under the TPPA. The regulator said that based on KE’s revised petition it had now accorded ‘final approval’ to the TPPA.

“The detailed methodology for NPMV allocation and payment mechanism will be agreed separately between K-Electric, CPPA and NTDC as a part of operating procedures to be developed by the operating committee under clause 2.4 of TPPA,” Nepra said, directing the three parties to finalise it at the earliest.

The experts, however, are cautious that the fresh developments and arrangements might not resolve Karachi’s power crisis in the summer because of non-resolution of issues relating to fuel supply arrangements and additional power demand arising out of diversion of natural gas from industrial captive power plants as part of the federal government’s decision to enhance power consumption.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2021