PEPCO provides power connection to 10,684 villages in FY 2010

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PEPCO provides power connection to 10,684 villages in FY 2010

Friday, July 02, 2010

LAHORE: Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) electrified 10684 villages in the fiscal year 2009-10 despite an acute electricity shortage in the country, said its Director General Energy Management and Conservation Engineer Muhammad Khalid.

Khalid, while talking to the media on Thursday, said the availability of electricity was the right of every citizen, so it had to be provided to as many people as possible regardless its shortage.

He said Faisalabad Electric Supply Company, Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Islamabad Electric Power Company, Lahore Electric Supply Company, Multan Electric Power Company, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company, Peshawar Electric Supply Company, Quetta Electric supply Company (QESCO) and Tribal electric Supply Company electrified 1,127, 208, 655, 707, 2,268, 2,719,1,141,1,697 and 162 villages respectively. In addition, the DG said around 1,303 villages were electrified by PEPCO.

Talking about the anomaly in QESCO remit, he said the main cause of the prolonged hours of power outages of 6 hours in urban and 16 hours in rural areas of Quetta was because of bomb blasts and the storm, which hit the city and its surroundings.

He said due to these blasts and the storm, QESCO’s infrastructure was badly damaged. He further said that rehabilitation activities by PEPCO were halted by further deterioration in the law and order. He said restoration work by QESCO staff had started on June 27, which would last for approximately 12 days.

He said the total load of the QESCO was 1339 MW and out of this load, 80 percent was agricultural and 20pc domestic. He said owing to the damage to the infrastructure, only 468 MW was being given to QESCO at present. Talking about electricity theft, Khalid said detection bills had been served to more than 1100,000 consumers during the fiscal year 2009-10. He said apart from the consumers, 387 lower staff workers and 37 officers of PEPCO had been found involved in electricity theft.

PEPCO provides power connection to 10,684 villages in FY 2010