At a time when textile and other industries are facing severe shortage of gas and domestic consumers have started using LPG cylinders, the federal government has finalised a plan to establish 5,600 megawatt gas-based power projects in several localities in Sindh and Punjab.In, Sindh, the plants are even ready to start operations in Hyderabad and Sukkur in May this year. According to newspaper reports, the cabinet committee on energy headed by the prime minister,has directed the ministerial committee to get the power plants approved within a week.
On another note, the government has invited bids to set up a 1,000 megawattproject based on raw gas and another 1,000 megawatt project based on purified natural gas in Sindh. The third option for the government is to rehire the defunct rental power projects for a short period of time to meet the energy requirements. Under a revised scheme, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority will approve the bids on the basis of minimum tariff without paying anything in advance. At least 3,600 megawatt power plants will be established on the basis of imported liquefied natural gas, probably, from Qatar while work on eight coal-based 5,300 megawatt power projects are under process in Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Rahimyar Khan and Chakwal.
There are no two opinions about the sincerity of the government to deal with chronic energy crisis in the country. The proposed Kalabagh Dam is the future of the country, but has been rendered controversial by so-called nationalist leaders. There are reports in the social media circles that India has pushed its agents into every field of life to protect its interests in Pakistan. The opposition to the construction of Kalabagh Dam is on the basis of prejudice and not reasoning. The country has been incurring huge losses in term of money and business due to energy crisis for the last many years, but voices of reasons are silent and common sense of those who are opposing the project has gone to oblivion.
What the government has to do right now is to promptly start the projects other than Kalabagh Dam which are not controversial as delay is increasing construction cost of the projects. Pakistan has abundant coal reserves which can be utilized to produce electricity and work on some of the projects has even been started, but the process is slow due to lack of proper funding. According to media reports, tons of machinery is rusting on sea and dry ports which was imported to launch electricity projects. The government should look into this matter as the machinery is the nation’s property and it should not go waste in such a careless manner.