By Muhammad Luqman
After decades of energy crisis, most of Pakistanis are now having 24×7 power supply without any interruption .
“The overall electricity generation at present has gone up to 16,477 megawatt, which was about 2700 megawatt more than the demand,” Pakistan’s power minister Awais Khan Leghari told a news conference in the capital, Islamabad.
Leghari said when the PML-N came into power in 2013, the country was producing only 9,279 megawatt electricity against the demand of 11,800 megawatt, facing average shortfall of 2500 megawatt and almost eight to ten hours load-shedding.
He said maximum number of feeders across the country would be turned to zero load-shedding from December 4. “There would be no load-shedding at 5,297 feeders out of total 8,600. Earlier, the number of feeders, where zero load-shedding was being observed, was only 326.”
“More than 65 % population of Pakistan will be shifted on zero load shedding midnight. We have ended urban rural disparity on load shedding,” he said.
The minister said a total of 15 million meter owners would benefit from zero load-shedding and there would be no discrimination among the provinces or urban areas and rural areas on that count.
“The feeders with below 10 per cent power theft would benefit from the zero load-shedding, while other feeders would be subjected to load-shedding in accordance with the rules made to check power theft,” he added.
The minister said two-hour load-shedding would be observed at feeders with 10-20 per cent power theft and so on.
“The feeders with over 80% theft would be subjected to 16 to 20 hours load-shedding,” he added.
