Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Monday informed the Lower House of the Parliament that the country has surplus electricity and we are ready to provide 24-hour power supply to feeders with zero losses. Speaking at the National Assembly forum, he said, “The system has enough generation and transmission capacity to meet the electricity demand, and we are ready to provide electricity 24-hours to consumers. However, this is not possible without controlling line losses and power theft.” Sardar Awais Leghari said that the country cannot afford to increase the circular debt further. “We don’t provide electricity to feeders with high line losses because this adds to the losses in the power sector, which cannot be borne by the country’s economy,” he added.

The minister stressed that unless distribution companies, with the assistance of provincial governments, change their course and control their losses, “load shedding will continue on these high-loss feeders.” He pointed out the need to penalize areas where electricity theft is rampant. “We have directed the CEOs of distribution companies to improve their service quality and end power outage on no-loss feeders,” he said. Awais Leghari sought the cooperation of lawmakers in controlling electricity theft, stating that 24-hour electricity would be provided to their respective areas if power theft is controlled. He expressed concern that some areas in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan are not paying their bills. He also shared details of a meeting with the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and appreciated the Chief Minister for his cooperation in controlling power theft in the province.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan