Closure of LNG, oil-powered plants reasons behind loadshedding: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Saturday said that country had the capacity of 35,000 MW of power generation, but due to the closure of different power-producing plants, run on gas and oil, different parts of the country had been facing load shedding for the last few days.

Speaking in the National Assembly, the prime minister said that about 6,000 MW hydel power could be generated which was linked to the melting of glaciers and the availability of water but unfortunately, the CPEC coal-based plants and the new LNG plants that could produce about 5,000 MW power, including the one set up during 2019, with a capacity to generate 1250 MW, had been closed for the last four years. It could not produce the power during the previous government.

The PTI government did not give priority to such projects due to their incompetency, corruption and mismanagement, he added.

The new plants could not generate power due to the unavailability of gas or expensive oil. The ministries concerned apprised him that they could not finalize the import of LNG as no one in the previous government was ready to supervise such projects.

He said the prices of LNG import had surged manifold and now, it stood around 30-35 dollar per unit. During 2015-16, the previous government of PML-N had reached an agreement with Qatar for the import of LNG and if it had not been done, what would have happened now!

The prime minister also appreciated Emir of Qatar’s personal intervention to provide LNG at discounted price.

The prime minister, however, assured that they have been trying to resolve the serious issues on priority basis. He informed that he had held a number of meetings with the ministries concerned.

Criticizing his predecessor, the prime minister said the former government was indifferent to the public issues, calling them as ‘stone-hearted’. The country had the capacity to power production, but the former incompetent government had brought disasters in every sector of life.

The prime minister referred to the slow-paced construction work on Rawal Chowk flyover in Islamabad said that the project despite a clear deadline for its completion within two years, had been stalled, multiplying public and motorists’ woes.

The contract was awarded to a black-listed company by the PTI’s government which had been penalized in the past.

He said in Punjab province, they had delivered such projects within 72 days.

He also condemned an attack on the deputy speaker in Punjab assembly, terming it the provincial government’s fascist act.

The prime minister also congratulated the newly elected Speaker of the National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and expressed the hope that he would uphold the constitution and sanctity of the house supreme.