Pak clocks to be forwarded again from April 1

[Naveed Yaseen]

Clocks to be forwarded again

By Jawwad Rizvi
CLOCKS will be forward by an hour this year again in order to conserve power during the coming summer season and the step will save some 1,500 megawatt electricity daily.

The News has learnt that clocks, like last year, will be forward again by an hour from April 1, 2009, and they will be back to routine in October 2009, as the proposal submitted by the Pakistan Electric Power Company to the federal government. The energy conservation plan for this summer season was also discussed with the Federal Ministry for Water and Power.

It further learnt that the decision to forward clocks by an hour would be announced by the federal government after the lawyers’ long march and sit-in. Pepco had already submitted its proposals of energy conservation but the federal government was so engaged in political issues that it could not hold a meeting to make decision in this regard. Pepco, in its proposal, mentioned that if clocks would not be forward by an hour than the duration of loadshedding would be increased.

A Pepco official revealed that despite energy conservation during the last summer, the duration of loadshedding was extended to 16 hours per day when power shortage reached 5000 megawatts. The peak electricity demand was touched to 17,800 mega watt while the maximum generation was 14,100 megawatts during the last summer, which also reduced to 12,800 megawatts due to unavoidable reasons. Now with 10 per cent growth rate, some 1,800 megawatts demand is expected to increase this year.

The official revealed that Pepco had prepared an emergency action plan to minimise power outages in the coming summer. Under the plan, arrangements of energy conservation are proposed to keep the maximum electricity demand to 17,500 megawatts. The company proposed that like last year, an awareness campaign should be launched by the government to request the consumers to minimise the use of electricity during peak hours. The consumers would also be asked to run their ACs during peak hour and day time at 26c which would help conserve some 800 megawatts power. Shopkeepers and traders would be requested to close business centres and shopping malls at 8pm during summer season (April to October).

Similarly, forwarding clock by an hour would save 1,500 megawatts. In these 1,500 megawatts, 500 megawatts would be saved from early closing of offices and 1,000 megawatts by early closing of markets and shopping centres. The hydel power generation will be increased by some 12 per cent this year but there will still be a shortage of 22 per cent as compared to 34 per cent in the last year.

When contacted, Pepco Managing Director Fazal Ahmed Khan said: “the company had proposed to forward clocks by an hour under energy conservation plan.” He further said a comprehensive energy conservation plan had been prepared and it would definitely help minimise the power outages.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=166336