Powering Pakistan from the heart of the desert

Pakistan aims to ensure energy independence by leveraging its own natural resources. Hitachi ABB Power Grids will provide 550-kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) to power generation equipment manufacturer Shanghai Electric. The Thar Block-1 project comprises two power plants with the capacity to generate 1,320 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid. Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ high-voltage compact metal encapsulated GIS offers outstanding reliability and operational safety in challenging climatic conditions. The GIS is an important component of a major energy project as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),…

Read More

Purchasing power

The issue of power purchase, and when it is made, has come up before. Recently, PSO said that it bought additional furnace oil to meet a shortfall by K-Electric in Karachi, so that the people of Karachi would not suffer. The question, however, is why furnace oil was bought when a few months before in August and September, LNG was available at far lower costs. Purchasing it at that point and using it in the future could have saved the country millions of rupees. The Ministry of Energy has denied…

Read More

Vision for an energy secure Punjab

Energy is an essential ingredient of socio-economic development and economic growth. Over the past two years the PTI government which came to power on the promise of increasing economic development has made large strides in ensuring an enhanced supply of commercial energy. Currently Pakistan produces a total of 33,961 MW of energy. Over half of Pakistan’s generation capacity is met by Punjab which is responsible for producing 16,322 MW and consumes 70% of all electricity produced within the country. Punjab’s current electricity consumption lies around 16,915 MW and is projected…

Read More

PSO accused of succumbing to global oil mafia

KARACHI: Pakistan State Oil Company (PSO), the country’s largest public sector oil marketing company, is accused of succumbing to international oil mafia and vested interests, industry sources said. According to details, PSO regularly conducts spot tenders for supply of motor gasoline and seasonal furnace oil cargoes which are supplied by a small group of globally influential international oil suppliers such as Gunvor, Enoc, Vitol, Petro China, OTI, BB Energy represented by highly powerful local indenting agents. “The current PSO tendering process is designed in a fair way to encourage open…

Read More

A Warning From The United Kingdom: Renewable Energy May Not Suffice

An interesting situation has arisen in the United Kingdom, which should draw the attention of all those focused on the “energy transition.” It speaks to the underlying unreliability of renewable energy and, in particular, the current state of green technology. We can learn from Britain’s current struggles that unless or until we drastically improve our alternative energy and electricity storage technology, we are not yet able to engage in a meaning transition. On November 3rd, National Grid, which operates the electrical system in the United Kingdom, issued an “electricity margin notice,” for…

Read More