Pakistan’s power crisis has hit the
industry hard but solutions are available
An exchange with Waqas ul Haq from Power Zone unveils new green technologies that not only are available to facilitate continuous power supply but also save the resources

Pakistan has been facing a power crisis for over 3 decades, what do you suggest to get the country out of this crisis?
It’s been a long-standing issue and every government resolves to address it but the shortfall continues unabated. Inflation goes up all the time and people do not catch up on the purchasing power be it generators or solar panel systems. The use continues to become expensive. After the taxes, the prices exponentially increased. Look at the petrol prices, the people wonder how they continue using it with such exorbitant petrol prices.
The government can supply power for not more than 12 hours and given the situation industries switch to gas which is also not easily available during this government. The industry used to export gas and is now moving to closure. The impact does not only affect the industry but also thousands of people are losing their jobs. How will they live their lives! This kind of impact is always overlooked by governments. They take short-term decisions, restricted to their stay in power. You cannot find long-term programs and if there were any, the new government stopped them.
What is the alternative available to the industry so that it continues to function with the same cost?
We have been working on diesel generators for the last 20 years and our assessment shows the industrial cost of a generator is not more than what the industry usually pays to power utilities like K-electric and WAPDA; it is almost equal. The industry looks towards green energy and efficient systems.
We were working on the Fiat Powertrain Generator for the last 5 years. We were exploring some systems that benefit the end user. Have a look at its features, if we run it on prime power because of a 12 hours power shortfall, you can save 15 to 20 percent of diesel. The next feature includes the first oil service after 150 hours rather than the normal requirement of 50 hours. For the second oil change, other brands call for 250 hours max but Fiat Powertrain allows running it for 500 hours. Thus the service demand will fall in alternate months and it reduces the expenses of the users.
What about the comparison of investment between your brand and the others?
The increase in dollar prices subsequently increases the prices of every product. It is a global phenomenon but still, our brand is already offering 10 to 15 percent less than other brands.
Diesel is considered to be an expensive solution. Do you offer other systems other than the diesel one?
Yes, we do. We have been working on gas generators too. They are the best savers that’s why everyone wishes to go for gas generators. We are in the process of talking with Siemens for one of its brands. It is almost finalized. Siemens gas generators are better than other brands in terms of capital cost or operational cost. Its efficiency is 46 percent compared with other big brands.
Are you in wind power too?
Yes, we have worked on turbines manufactured by US company Capstone. They start with 200 KW and it’s our entry into green energy. Since we are facing a shortfall of gas and diesel, what we need to do is to change the nozzle and use it. Yes, the initial investment is high, touching over US$1000 on 1 KW. Later on, the operational cost remains low. It’s efficient for the industry in Karachi and Punjab.
It’s been 20 years that Powerzone is in the market, what other brands are you dealing in?
Green energy is the focus around the world today and thus we have introduced a turbine whose very first unit has reached Lahore. Since we are facing issues in service etc, we needed something that we can rely on and this is such a type of turbine. Based on diesel, this machine requires once a year servicing. You just have to change the filter. It is a technology that requires no service. We have a good offer and it is very efficient for mobile companies. They have to ensure relaying signals from their towers. They face issues relating to diesel theft in remote areas. We worked with the Bladon MicroTurbine and are importing it. We mix diesel and kerosine and use them to address the theft issue because it cannot be sold in the market. You can run it on low-speed diesel or kerosine and it will give you a 15 percent saving for sure. The initial cost is higher but it ensures you uninterrupted service. We have exhibited it in Islamabad and we have a testing center in Lahore.
The response in Pakistan is good and inquiries have started pouring in from the industry.
Apart from mobile companies, smaller bank branches can also benefit from this product. It is a 12 KW turbine that can easily run 2 air conditioners and ATMs in remote areas.
It is interesting that besides a wide range of generators, you deal in lifts too!
If you talk about lifts, Chinese brands fall into your mind. But it is the quality that is much talked about. Then you see European lifts which double the cost of Chinese lifts. We have introduced a Turkish brand, Aser. Quite a few lifts have been installed in Lahore. They are good in price, naturally a bit more expensive than Chinese lifts. We are trying to introduce more efficient brands in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, many high-rise buildings have been erected and many of them have started becoming older. We continue receiving queries for the replacement of the lift and parts. In new societies, we see good demand in big cities of the country