There will some shortage of electricity in the next 48 hours: Khurram Dastgir
ISLAMABAD, Jan 24 (SABAH): Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan has said the electricity has completely been restored after Monday’s breakdown.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan said the country’s 1112 grid stations stand restored and there is none which is not energized.
The Minister for Energy commended the efforts undertook by the National Transmission and Dispatch Company, Power Division and WAPDA for restoring the power supply.
Khurram Dastgir said despite the extensive breakdown, there were some areas in the federal capital and Peshawar where the electricity remained available all the time. Similarly, there was no disruption in power in the flood hit areas of Sindh and Balochistan.
The Minister for Energy said the exact reason of the technical challenge that was experienced in the North and South transmission line at 7.30 am on Monday has yet not been determined.
Khurram Dastgir said that the nuclear power plants in Karachi and Chashma would require 48 to 72 hours to come to the system and that process has been started. He said the coal power plants are also required 48 hours. Sahiwal and Engro Thar coal units have been synchronized and soon they will start producing electricity. He added that the power distribution system is safe. He said there will some shortage of electricity in the next 48 hours. Therefore, there will be a limited load shedding but the industrial sector will be exempted from it.
The Minister for Energy said that the transmission system remained safe from this disturbance in system. He also emphatically stated there is no shortage of fuel and it is available in sufficient quantity to produce electricity.
Khurram Dastgir said that the government is concerned about the back-to-back failure of the national grid and will investigate whether the system was “hacked” by external forces.
The minister said that the “possibility of foreign intervention through the internet is low,” however, the matter will be probed as there have been multiple incidents recently.
The federal minister said that Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has formed a three-member inquiry committee which will be headed by Minister of State for Petroleum Senator Dr. Musadik Masood Malik.
Khurram Dastgir further said that there will be a shortage of electricity and the citizens will face load shedding in the next 48 hours. He added that the system will be completely restored by Thursday.
He said that National Transmission and Dispatch Company’s (NTDC) 1,112 grid stations across Pakistan have been restored. “The electricity was completely restored today at 5:15am,” he added.
“We faced a technical challenge Monday morning. There was a voltage fluctuation in the transmission lines and the reason behind it is still unknown,” he added.
Khurram Dastgir added that electricity is required to start a power plant, adding that the country has plenty of oil to run power plants.
Talking about the power outage in Karachi, the minister said that supply will be restored in the port city soon. “Routine load shedding is being carried out,” he added. He highlighted that this was a technical issue which led to the breakdown in the country.
Blaming the previous Imran Khan-led government for this incident, Khurram Dastgir said that it is the outcome of four years of incompetence and criminal negligence.
“We have to work on the upgradation of grid systems in Faisalabad, Lahore, and Zhob as these stations are four-year-old,” he said, adding that only Matiari–Lahore transmission line has a protection system.
When asked whether he will resign as there have been two breakdowns during his tenure, Dastgir said that those who didn’t invest in the project in the last four years should be held responsible.