The severity of the power crisis can be gauged from the Prime Minister’s direction that power load shedding be restricted to two hours, which had reached several hours in cities, and much longer in rural areas. As the mercury stays up, with expected relief from the monsoon weeks away, the demand for electricity keeps going up, but the supply remains problematic. The shortfall has reached 7300 MW, and may grow. It was bad enough that the previous government failed to order furnace oil on time, but now generation plants are being shut down as they run out of fuel because they are no longer being extended credit.
Another factor, which goes beyond the immediate crisis, which is one of financing, is the inexorable rise in demand, which is because of population growth. This is exacerbated by the tendency towards urbanization, with the residents of rural areas using more electricity when they shift to the cities. Defence Minister Kh Asif has suggested early closure for markets as a means of reducing demand. That suggestion is on a par with that calling for offices, schools and markets to increase their weekly offs. These are not so much suggestions as declarations that nothing can be done.
The government should not forget that an end to load shedding was one of the proudest achievements of the previous PML(N) government. It would be a pity if it presided over a return to load shedding as soon as it returned to office. Previously, load-shedding was occurring because the national grid was shot of generation capacity. Now the capacity is there, but the money to use it may not. This financing problem means that while the hot weather will end, the load shedding problem will continue. If the present government intends to fight the next election, it cannot afford to have an electorate in the dark.
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