Wapda accused of following discriminatory policy over rented power

Islamabad: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is following discriminatory policy for acquiring thermal power plants on rent as two Karachi-based companies are being treated differently.

The Petroleum Ministry has already refused to allocate gas for 100 MW power plant of General Electric (GE), of USA, recommended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, saying it has no additional gas. On the other hand, Wapda is making all-out efforts to acquire rental thermal power plants of 'favourite parties' to meet the upcoming power crisis.

Sources told Business Recorder that Wapda has approached Hasan Associates, a Karachi-based company, to acquire 500 MW combined cycle power plant on rental basis, saying that the utility was keen to add more rented power plants to the system to alleviate the present power shortage, but it did not respond to a similar proposal of another Karachi-based company ie Continental Energy (Pvt) Limited.

The utility has sought a comprehensive proposal for the 500 MW rental power station of Hasan Associates with parameters ie site specific capacity of the plant, fixed monthly rental payment, guaranteed availability, fuel cost component per unit, voltage level and location of site near Wapda load centres of Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad.

Sources said that Continental Energy (CE) Limited had approached the Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi, offering 150 MW gas turbine on rent for meeting emergency loads with better efficiency, after Wapda did not pay heed to them properly.

In December 2006, CE had offered Pratt and Whitney G/T sets to Wapda on rent to meet the looming power shortages but the latter expressed inability to avail the offering 'owing to non-availability of gas'.

The company was of the view that 4* 14.75 MW GT sets are operating at Shahdara, near Lahore, at 15 per cent efficiency, and added that if the utility considered its proposal, it would save substantial quantity of gas since P&W sets operate at an efficiency of 35 percent-plus.

Pratt & Whitney, a united technologies company, on December 13, 2006 had conveyed to its Pakistan based client that it held a number of FT4 TWINPAC gas turbines in the inventory, three of which would be sufficient to provide power required for the area conveyed to it.

Sources said that the company was ready to give 150 MW gas turbines to Wapda but neither the latter nor the former responded in a good way. At the same time, Wapda is writing letters to Hasan Associates for acquiring power plant on rent!