Energy Crisis in Pakistan and its solutions

[Rubaida]

An energy crisis is any great shortfall in the supply of energy resources to an economy. It usually refers to the shortage of oil and additionally to electricity or other natural resources.

The crisis often has effects on the rest of the economy, with many recessions being caused by an energy crisis in some form. In particular, the production costs of electricity rise, which raises manufacturing costs.

For the consumer, the price of petrol and diesel for cars and other vehicles rises, leading to reduced consumer confidence and spending, higher transportation costs and general price rising.
Crisis” is one word which has become part of ordinary Pakistani’s vocabulary like nothing else. First we have sugar crisis, then wheat followed by electricity and to add more fuel to the fire now we are going through the worst gas shortage in our history. In Punjab this crisis has hurt the most with every person suffering its consequences. Thousands of daily waged workers have become jobless in industrial areas like Faisalabad, in homes women folk is suffering to feed their children, passengers wait for hours as the public transport has no CNG while those having personal transport wait for hours in order to obtain much required CNG refilling.
Our innocent executives like their predecessor have a bucket full of excuses in order to justify this mismanagement. For price hike and declining economy they have the common tag line of “market mechanism” and “global slowdown” to justify this phenomena. In case of electricity and gas load shedding they can find no good reason but to curse increasing demand. The reality which they never accept is the fact that this shortfall is depriving our state from billions of rupees by not availing this opportunity of earning revenue, instead of wasting time on IMF imposed RGST and much more. Some conspiracy theories have floated for quite some time blaming this shortfall as a dirty mean to maximize their benefits. Like in electricity crisis they have managed to pull out the much debated Rental Power Projects while in case of gas shortage they are earning billions from taxes imposed on petroleum products and LPG. In short this recklessness can only be justified by only one reason, which is that our plans on day to day basis rather than planning in years as done in the developed countries.
Energy resources have depleted! Whatever resources are available are simply too expensive to buy or already acquired by countries which had planned and acted long time ago. Delayed efforts in the exploration sector have not been able to find sufficient amounts of energy resources. Nations of the world which have their own reserves are not supplying energy resources anymore; only the old contracts made decades ago are active. Airplanes, trains, cars, motorbikes, buses and trucks, all modes of transportation are coming to a standstill. Many industries have closed due to insufficient power supply. Price of oil has gone above the ceiling. At domestic level, alternate methods like solar, biogas and other methods are being tried for mere survival.

The above is a likely scenario of Pakistan and around the globe after 25 years. A pessimistic view, but realistic enough to think about and plan for the future. But are we doing anything about it? Let’s have a look at the current energy situation of Pakistan and the world.

[Rubaida]

The country may plunge into energy crisis by the year 2007 due to rising electricity demand which enters into double digit figure following increasing sale of electrical and electronic appliances on lease finance, it is reliably learnt Thursday.

“The country may face energy crisis by the year 2007 following healthy growth of 13 per cent in electricity demand during the last quarter, which will erode surplus production in absence of commissioning of any new power generation project during this financial year,” informed sources told The Nation.

As per Pakistan Economic Survey 2003-04, electricity consumption has increased by 8.6 per cent during first three-quarter of last fiscal year. However, a top level WAPDA official maintained that electricity demand surged up to 13 per cent during last quarter.

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The survey said household sector has been the largest consumer of electricity accounting for 44.2 per cent of total electricity consumption followed by industries 31.1 per cent, agriculture 14.3 per cent, other government sector 7.4 per cent, commercial 5.5 per cent and street light 0.7 per cent.

Keeping in view the past trend and the future development, WAPDA has also revised its load forecast to eight per cent per annum as against previous estimates of five per cent on average. Even the revised load forecast has also failed all assessments due to which Authority has left no other option but to start load management this year, which may convert into scheduled load shedding over a period of two year, sources maintained.

The country needs a quantum jump in electricity generation in medium-term scenario to revert the possibilities of load shedding in future due to shrinking gap between demand and supply of electricity at peak hours.

According to an official report, the gap between firm supply and peak hours demand has already been shrunk to three digit (440 MW) during this fiscal and will slip into negative columns next year (-441 MW) and further intensify to (-1,457 MW) during the financial year 2006-07.
The report maintained that the difference between firm supply and peak demand is estimated at 5,529 MW by the year 2009-10 when firm electricity supply will stand at 15,055 MW against peak demand of 20,584 MW.

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Energy has become an important prerequisite for the economic development of a country. On one hand it is used for the industrial and agricultural purposes and on the other hand it is required for domestic use of the citizens. Natural gas is the fastest growing primary energy source. Globally Energy Crisis in Pakistan 5 consumption of natural gas is projected to increase by nearly 70 percent between 2002 and 2025, with the most vigorous growth in demand expected among the emerging economies. Consumption of natural gas worldwide increases in the forecast by an average of 2.3 percent annually from 2002 to 2025, compared with projected annual growth rates of 1.9 percent for oil consumption and 2.0 percent for coal consumption. The electric power sector accounts for almost one-half of the total incremental growth in worldwide natural gas demand over the forecast period.
South Asia is important to world energy markets because it contains 1.3 billion people and is experiencing rapid energy demand growth. After India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the next largest South Asian countries in these categories. Economic and population growth in South Asia have resulted in rapid increases in energy consumption in recent years. The major energy issues facing South Asian nations today are keeping up with rapidly rising energy demand. Agency for energy consumption has projected that by the year 2010 South Asian countries shall be consuming more than double the current levels of primary commercial energy.

[Rubaida]

Pakistan’s largest energy source is natural gas, with demand and imports growing rapidly. Currently, natural gas supplies 49 percent of Pakistan’s energy needs. According to the Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), as of January 1, 2005, Pakistan had 26.83 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves. Pakistan is looking to increase its gas production to support increasing consumption through Pipelines from Iran and Turkmenistan. Currently, Pakistan ranks third in the world for use of natural gas as a motor fuel, behind Brazil and Argentina. In addition, Pakistan hopes to make gas the fuel of choice for future electric power generation projects. Pakistan ambitiously seeks to increase oil production through new alliances with foreign companies. Pakistan’s net oil imports are projected to rise substantially in coming years as demand growth outpaces increases in production.
Recent increase in pollution due to the human and industrial waste has forced the man to devise ways to use it as an energy source. Energy from the waste is a recycling process known as incineration. The process of incineration is the combustion of waste material to generate electricity or heat at large. This trend of generating electricity is more popular in underdeveloped countries because they are facing the severe pollution hazards. Incineration reduces the waste and proves helpful in generating energy.

Recent studies have shown that a pack of solid waste contains approximately 548 watts of energy which is equal to one barrel oil. As the world is getting polluted day by day and important energy resources are scarce waste energy can be a useful technique in many ways. First of all the solid waste from the industry and household can be controlled. Secondly it can be used to generate electricity. Waste from energy process not only helps reduce waste but also is a cheap and affordable way of generate energy. Many developed countries in the world are selling their useful solid industrial waste to the third world countries. Energy from waste is utilized to charge electric batteries as well. The heaps of garbage in the world are spreading diseases. All the populated countries in the world are thinking of transferring their garbage waste to barren lands in the world by paying a little fee. It may help those countries but can be fatal for the people living near those lands.

[Rubaida]

Recently Sweden, Japan and India has implanted energy waste power plants at large. Underdeveloped countries like Pakistan have also started an energy waste power project with the cooperation of Apex civic authority. This power project has been started with a view to counter the severe energy crises in coming years. The increasing trend of urbanization and a change in the living style has led to the piles of waste in large cities. as mentioned earlier the waste to energy power plants can also create jobs for many. This energy can also be exported to poor countries. Waste energy can help us fight the extreme conditions of global warming due to industrial waste. Biggest benefit that this waste energy power plant gives is that we have a way to use alternative fuels to run cars and vehicles also. We can lower our dependence on basic fuel such as oil and gas. The rising prices and scarcity of oil and gas has diverted the attention of the world towards the use of waste energy projects.
he Waste Management of Pakistan (WMP) was declared successful bidder to install the first solid waste converter technology in Rawalpindi, generating refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from municipal waste such as plastics and biodegradable items.

A high-powered committee, chaired by Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Zahid Saeed, and comprising DCO Rawalpindi Imdadullah Bosal, representatives of Planning and Development (P&D), Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, and Urban Unit, Punjab (UUP) announced the WMP as successful company for installing RDF plant. Two companies- Maple Leaf Ltd and WMP- had submitted proposals before the committee.

Rawalpindi’s district administration will sell garbage to the company at Rs50 per ton. The total generation of waste in Rawalpindi city is around 800 tons daily, which means the district administration would earn Rs 40,000 a day once the company starts its operation.

Mohammad Usman, a consultant of UUP, told Dawn that the cost of RDF plant was Rs80 million and it can separate combustible wastes from non-combustible ones. “Importantly it can convert the entire garbage in the city into energy on daily basis with fertilizers as byproduct.” Officials said the RDF plant would help reduce random disposal of garbage in the city besides helping the municipal authorities in timely lifting the trash from streets.

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Wind Energy is clean & renewable source of energy and is also the world’s fastest growing energy resource. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) with the financial collaboration of Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST), has completed its project entitled “Wind Power Potential Survey of Coastal Areas of Pakistan (Phase-I)” in June 2005.

Phase-II consisting of Wind Mapping of Northern Areas of Pakistan is own going since July 2005.The demand for energy has increased in tremendous proportions in the last few decades in Pakistan; the same is expected to increase further in the coming years. The primary sources of energy available in Pakistan are oil, natural gas, hydro and nuclear Power. At present oil accounts for approximately 45% of total commercial energy supply. The share of natural gas is 34% while that of hydel power remains roughly at 15%. The increase in cost of fossil fuel and the various environmental problems of large scale power generation have lead to increased appreciation of the potential of electricity generation from non-conventional sources. This has provided the planners and economists to find out other low cost energy resources.

Wind and Solar energies are the possible clean and low cost renewable resources available in the country. The potential, for the use of alternative technologies, has never been fully explored in Pakistan. Wind power provides opportunity to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel and at the same time expands the power supply capacity to remote locations where grid expansion is not practical.

Recently conducted survey of Wind Power Potential along coastal areas of the country by Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), indicates that a potential exists for harvesting wind energy using currently available technologies, especially along Sindh coast.

Gharo, one of the sites in Sindh where the wind data have been recorded and studied by PMD, has been selected for using the measured wind data the annual gross energy production by an 18 MW wind farm consisting of thirty – 600 kW turbines will be 45 million kWh. Taking into account the wind turbine availability, net losses and wake effects in the wind farm the net annual energy production is estimated to 31 million kWh per year corresponding to a capacity factor of 28%.

The total investment will be Rs: 850 million and pay back period will be 7-8 years. The capital cost of wind power projects ranges Rs 4 to 5 crore per MW. This gives a levelised cost of wind energy generation in the range of Rs: 2.50 to 3.00 per kWh, taking into consideration the fiscal benefits extended by the government.

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Pakistan has a considerable potential of wind energy in the coastal belt of Sindh, Balochistan and as well as in the desert areas of Punjab and Sindh. This renewable source of energy has however, not so far been utilized significantly.

So far, large wind turbines for power generation have not been installed in Pakistan. However, about 30 wind mills for pumping water have been installed for experimental purposes in different parts of Sindh and Balochistan.

In addition to the development activities in wind energy field for on grid electricity production, the wind energy is also being used for the electrification of remote off grid villages in the southern coastal areas of Pakistan. So far more than 18 villages have been electrified using micro wind turbines. Indigenous development of micro wind turbines has also commenced in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s first ever Wind Power Plant of commercial scale was inaugurated by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on 19th April 2009 at Jhimpir, District Thatta, Sindh.

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Mining and processing of nuclear raw materials, the production of enriched uranium, the fabrication of nuclear fuel elements, the design construction and operation of nuclear reactors and fuel reprocessing.

Use in agriculture, medicine, industry, biology and hydrology

Apart from the use of nuclear energy to produce electricity from power reactors, it has also been used extensively in agriculture, medicine, industry, biology and hydrology. Radiation is finding widespread use, like to improve the present varieties of fruit, vegetables and crops. The radiations given out by atomic reactors are sometimes used for the treatment of diseases like cancer. These radiations are also used to kill dangerous germs and insects in foods and cultivated fields.

For the good of society

The peaceful application of nuclear energy is one of several factors contributing to the process usually described as automation, more precisely perhaps: the process of rationalization, or the fusion of science and production in industry. Scientists have started using it for the good of society.

Nuclear energy can be used for destruction as well as for construction

Nuclear energy can be used for destruction as well as for construction. The world needs nuclear power and will need it more in the years to come. We can see the nuclear applications in industry, nuclear radiations and radioactive materials are providing more accurate control in the production of better and cheaper things.

Produce electricity on a very large scale

Another thing where Pakistan is lacking behind is the electricity. Nuclear energy can help is the supply of cheap electricity. Small amounts of radioactive materials are used in these plants to produce electricity on a very large scale. It can help in easy generation and regeneration of water to produce electricity. The best use of the nuclear energy is in the field of medical sciences, the diseases of the thyroid have been classified with the use of radio iodine which the gland absorbs far more easily. Other countries are also making efforts to produce electricity at cheap rates from atomic power plants.
Coal is the cheapest and the most common fuel used directly or indirectly to produce electricity and heat in the world today. Global coal consumption was about 6.7 billion tons in 2006 and is expected to increase 48% to 9.98 billion tons by 2030, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). China produced 2.38 billion tons in 2006. India produced about 447.3 million tons and Pakistan mined only about 8 million tons in 2006. 68.7% of China’s electricity comes from coal. The United States consumes about 14% of the world total, using 90% of it for generation of electricity. The U.S. coal-fired plants have over 300 GW of capacity.

Thar desert region in Pakistan is endowed with one of the largest coal reserves in the world. Discovered in early 1990s, the Thar coal has not yet been developed to produce usable energy. With the devastating increases in imported oil bill and the growing shortages of gas and electricity in the country, the coal development is finally beginning to get the attention it deserves. Coal contributes about 20% of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions but it is the cheapest fuel available, according to Pew Center on Global Climate Change. It can provide usable energy at a cost of between $1 and $2 per MMBtu compared to $6 to $12 per MMBtu for oil and natural gas, and coal prices are relatively stable. Coal is inherently higher-polluting and more carbon-intensive than other energy alternatives. However, coal is so inexpensive that one can spend quite a bit on pollution control and still maintain coal’s competitive position.
1. The Sind Government has awarded a 1200 MW project to extract Thar coal and produce electricity to Engro Power.

2. A similar 1200 MW project is being undertaken by Pepco in Thar. The Pepco project also includes a 700 Km transmission line to connect Thar plants with the national grid.

3. An experimental project for underground coal gasification is being built by Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Mubarakmand to tap underground coal to produce 50 MW.


4. Another experimental 50 MW project using pressure coal gasification is planned by Pepco.

[Rubaida]

Today Pakistan is facing severe shortage of energy and electricity. Pakistan energy crisis and its solution is much debated issue in Pakistan and coal is important part of that debate. Pakistan is not using coal for the energy production and only 1% of energy is obtained from coal. Overall theglobal share of coal in power generation is 38%, the share of coal in energy production of China is 72% while 56% for India and more than 59% for US.

Coal is found in all four provinces of Pakistan and especially Sindh has huge reserves of coal located in Lakhra, Sondra, Thar and Badin. The Thar coal deposits alone estimated at 185 billion tones. Thar coal deposits were discovered in 1992 and it is irony that even after 18 years Pakistan fails to use this great source of energy production. Bureaucratic red tapism and centre-province tussles are main reasons of failure of Thar coal Pakistan project.

The only viable project so far remains the coal-based 450 MW power plant in Lakhra. Lakhra coal Development Company has 44 mines fully developed.

Recently Dr. Mubarakmand who is appointed the member of Planning Commission of Pakistan launched the Underground Coal Gasification UCG project for the conversion of underground coal into gas without bringing it above ground. Coal gas will be used to generate electricity which is badly needed in country.

But Thar coal deposits will take another three to four years before they start generating electricity. With initial projects Pakistan can produce over 10,000 MW of electricity for 30 years and this capacity can be enhanced up to the 50,000 MW in future.

Critics of Thar coal project says that the quality of coal is not good and due to this inferior quality of Thar coal it is not possible to generate electricity. Their other objection is that soil of those areas is also not suitable and can cause many technical problems.

Thar coal project is of great importance for Pakistan. The electricity produced from the Thar coal project will cause only rupees 4 per unit and it will drastically improve the situation of electricity in country.

Although due to climate change now world is against the coal-based power generation but major world powers are using coal as major source of energy generation. Pakistan can still opt for coal-fired power plants because it is not a big polluter and its contributions to gas emissions are hardly one per cent. Coal reserves in Pakistan are huge and coal gasification in Pakistan in new phenomenon which can help Pakistan to come out of this energy crisis.

The most frequent way using in Pakistan is the hydro power, as electricity is one of the major problem now a day for Pakistan, because most of the business and other factory work or local work is done with the help of electricity. So it’s a major source of energy for the Pakistan and hydro power is one of the important and frequently used method used by Pakistan for the production of the electricity.

Hydro power is generated by using electricity generators to extract energy from moving water. Historically people used the power of rivers for agriculture and wheat grinding. Today, rivers and streams are re-directed through hydro generators to produce energy, although there arepros and cons as far as local ecosystems are concerned. The articles on this page explore the use of water to generate electricity.