Karkey power plant a huge burden | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English

ISLAMABAD - Much debated 231MW Karkey Power Plant has once in a blue moon generated 221MW and if the required fuel could be supplied to it even then Rs 20.50 would be the cost of per unit electricity.
It was reliably learnt on Thursday that though the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of Karkey Rental Power Plant was done some eight months earlier but it has produced very less in accordance with the agreement and even against its built in capacity thus adding extra burden on the power consumers of the country. It is testimony of the fact that during the proceeding of Nepra on 3rd November, the GM National Power Control Center Masood Ahmad pointed out that COD of Karkey was done on 10th April and plant generated 221MW on that time despite the capacity of 231MW while till this effect Karkey could not produce electricity according to its built in capacity. He was of the opinion that even if the required fuel could be supplied to it, even then Rs 20.50 would be the cost of per unit electricity. Further, Nepra's hearing held on 07/09/2011 where Shaukat Ali Kundi Member Nepra gave his note of dissent in the matter of fuel charges adjustments for the moth of July 2011 for XW-Discos.
According to the available documents with TheNation, M/s Karkey Karandeniz Elektrik Uretim A.S (RPP) though has achieved its COD but after a delay of almost 17 months of its required COD on 11th November 2009 and the plant is still not operative fully. Sometimes back the operation of the plant was found to be very poor and inconsistent. Reportedly, it is still not operating fully because Lakhra Power Generation Company Limited has not been able to supply committed fuel to the RPP as per the contractual terms. The RPP is generating an average of around 45MW since 13 April, 2011 at an average cost pf Rs 43/kwh but is charging full payment on account of "Capacity Charge" for 231MW. This amounts to burdening the consumers a great deal for no fault of theirs. It is high time that the ministry of water and power takes a serious notice of the situation and adopts fitting measures on urgent basis to bring the situation under control and supply full to the RPP as committed, says Shaukat Ali Kundi Member Nepra in his dissenting.
It is a matter of serious attention that Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Limited has paid $76million in advance to the 231MW Karkey Rental Power Plant after taking loans from the banks while Lakhra Power Generation Company with the cooperation of Finance Ministry would give $546million from the money of tax payers under the head of rent with accordance to the agreement, sources revealed, adding, that however, the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) would enjoy the subsidised rate of electricity.
Sources also informed that finance ministry has paid hefty amount worth of Rupees one and half billion to the Karkey Rental Power Plant during the start of last month. Around 3cror unit of electricity was provided to the KESC from the Karkey power plant in September where per unit cost of electricity was Rs42.57 per unit with a fuel cost of Rs 15.29 per unit and cost occurred under the head of rent was Rs 27.28 per unit, sources added.
Official sources have also informed that if the agreement between Lakhra Power Generation, the NTDC and Karkey Company continues then around Rs 50billion would be secretly fetched from the hard-pressed power consumers of the country in next more than four years.