Photo courtesy PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed for the early revival of power plants that had been shuttered for various reasons to help stem ongoing loadshedding and reduce the electricity shortfall being reported from across Pakistan.
Chairing a meeting on the prevailing energy crisis in Lahore, the prime minister was briefed in detail on the loadshedding situation and the steps taken by the incumbent government to overcome it. “The [power] plants, which are not in operation these days, must be operated with immediate effect in a bid to end loadshedding and give relief to the public,” Sharif said.
The prime minister also stressed that with the threat of default having been averted, the coalition government’s topmost priority was steering the country out of its prevailing crisis. He vowed that the issue would be resolved, as it had been in the past, stressing that he was personally monitoring the situation.
In addition to Sharif, the meeting was also attended by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir-Khan, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, as well as other relevant officials. According to a statement, the ministers briefed the meeting on the reasons behind the power shortfall, stressing on the ousted PTI-led government’s failure to secure sufficient fuel supplies.
The ministers claimed that the Karot Hydro, Shanghai Thar, and Punjab Thermal RLNG Power Plant had all been delayed by the previous government, noting that it they had been completed on time, the country’s urban areas would not have witnessed any loadshedding. They also deliberated on the previous government’s failure to secure long-term contracts for LNG when prices for it were significantly lower, adding that this could have prevented the imposition of price hikes to electricity bills.
Apart from the power crisis, the meeting also discussed the issue of drinking water provision and agricultural facilities for provinces, with the prime minister stressing these should be resolved on priority. The Indus River System Authority was directed to take an independent decision after consultations with all provinces.