KARACHI: CEO K-Electric Moonis Alvi and Chief Distribution Officer Amer Zia along with senior company officials met with the leadership of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Thursday.
President Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Sheikh Umer Rehan apprised KE of the importance of the Korangi Industrial Area which is home to 4500 industries across multiple sectors and one of the largest contributors to the national exchequer. He stated that industrial and economic growth was only possible with the provision of a reliable, consistent supply of power. Chairman KATI Standing Committee on KE Danish Khan highlighted KE’s improved response times while also stressing upon the need for closer attention to improve operational efficiency to the industries. Zubair Chhaya, Chairman and CEO KITE Limited spoke positively about K-Electric’s increasing transparency in its processes, but also mentioned that there are some areas which have further room for improvement and investment.
CEO KE Moonis Alvi apprised KATI that K-Electric has exempted all industrial zones in Karachi from loadshed since 2010. He also mentioned that in the next 4 years, the company is working on an investment plan of USD 3 billion across the value chain to further improve the reliability of power supply. On the generation side, K-Electric is working to set up a 900 MW RLNG-based plant with an investment of around USD 650 million and also a 700 MW coal-based power plant to meet Karachi’s growing power demand. Simultaneously work is ongoing on the USD 450 million TP-1000 project to enhance transmission capacity. Chief Distribution officer Amer Zia further apprised KATI that the company is converting PMTs to Aerial Bundled Cables to reduce theft ratios. This collective investment has enabled K-Electric to exempt over 70% of the city from load-shed today including all industrial zones and strategic installations.
The impact of the recent rain spells on the city were also discussed at length. Amer Zia apprised KATI that the poor state of Karachi’s drainage system caused widespread waterlogging and forced the company to shut down areas in view of public safety. He mentioned that KE is committed to the safety of its citizens, but emphasized the need for cooperation between all stakeholders responsible for the city in order to jointly tackle the challenges in infrastructure. News Desk
