ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (Commodity Online): Pakistani energy producers could deliver as much as 2,500 megawatts of new energy to its beleaguered energy grid by June, utility directors said.Islamabad was considering aid from international lenders to help rebuild the energy sector, which is dragging on the national economy.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani last weekend called for the release of emergency funds to help the energy sector pay its debts as several sectors faced blackouts.
Muhammad Khalid, the director general of the Pakistan Electric Power Co., said he was confident power producers could bring another 2,500 megawatts of electricity online by June, Pakistani newspaper The Nation reports.
Pakistan currently faces electricity shortfalls of more than 4,000 MW during peak hours. Khalid added that consumers could take the initiative by conserving energy and using efficient equipment.
He added some power plants are closed for regular maintenance during the spring and fall, which could reduce electricity production by more than 1,000 MW.
Pakistan and Iran signed a long-delayed agreement Tuesday in Ankara for a natural gas pipeline from the giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf. That could allay some of Pakistan's power concerns when the pipeline goes into operation in 2014. (EUNewsNet.com and OfficialWire)
