Punjab and a renowned Canadian company High Mark Bio-Gas have signed a memorandum of understanding for setting up a 22 MW bio-gas power project. High Mark will set up the pilot project in six months. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif welcomed signing of this MoU. He said vast opportunities of generating energy from bio-mass and gobar gas exist in Punjab and we will fully benefit from these to minimis energy crisis.

He said there was great potential of setting up bio-gas projects in Punjab as there was no shortage of fuel for gobar gas projects. High Mark Bio-Gas Chief Executive Evan Chrapko briefed about his company and assured it will make vigorous efforts to complete the project in six months.

Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has detected several modern and sophisticated ways of stealing power during its current anti-theft campaign. Power thieves are ‘expert’ engineers and use advanced technology to steal power by installing various types of switches, remote controls and underground cabling systems etc. It involves more hi-tech engineering than regular electrical work for using power in factories and homes, said a LESCO official.

LESCO has so far saved about 10 MW electricity due to its anti-theft campaign. Police and FIA help forced many power thieves to close their activities while general public is also avoiding such practices. LESCO anti-theft squads are now focusing on industrial and big commercial consumers. Power theft needs advance technology. In India they use remote control devices as small as compass boxes used by school students.

When attached with meter, they produce high voltage and high frequency discharge on pressing a button. This creates a small spark in the meter and results in no data recording. When the user wants the meter to function normally, he reactivates it using the same method. LESCO has started analyzing recovered devices to counter their future use. Besides, FIA has also been asked to trace the persons who make and distribute these systems. LESCO is also going for Remote Metering System, to enable it to check minute changes in a consumer’s load behavior as well as electricity meter.

Power theft is a silent crime and is a worldwide phenomenon that causes heavy revenue losses to power utilities. Criminal investigation and prosecution is needed to combat this social evil, he added. LESCO has also decided to install new meters in boxes and at higher than normal points on poles. Secondly, CEO LESCO has directed XENs and SDOs to personally read meters of industry, commercial and large domestic premises. He appealed to the public to help and cooperate in law enforcement and report power theft. He described this as a national responsibility and added that LESCO is already advertising telephone numbers for this purpose. LESCO is also doing a survey to get the latest and updated data of all its consumers especially industrial, commercial and large domestic units.

It will help the company act effectively against power theft, The survey will update consumer data on sanctioned and present load and status of meter etc, says a press release received on e-mail. The law requires every consumer to notify power companies about load increase but the law is not followed. It is a big reason for inaccurate load management as actual load is different from what the consumers were originally sanctioned. The survey will give LESCO true picture of its consumers. In the meantime, LESCO is continuing its anti-power theft campaign. From June 28 till end July, the company had recovered around Rs 110 million from 284 power thieves.

Data from anti-power theft campaign reveals that so far most power pilferage was detected in northern circle (Badami Bagh, Ravi Road etc). Here officials detected 135 cases, registered 10 FIRs and issued bills for 23,170 units to power thieves. In Central Circle (Iqbal Town etc) it detected 21 cases, registered 8 FIRs and billed for 27,281 units were billed to power thieves. Third was Eastern Circle (Shadman and etc) where 11 cases were detected, 5 FIRs were lodged and 2,240 units were billed. But Southern Circle (Defence) had the most interesting figures. It had the lowest numbers of theft incidents but had the most power – 141,378 stolen units. Here only 6 cases of theft were detected.

Punjab Fire Safety Commission (PFSC) has suggested comprehensive measures for present and future 4 storey and higher buildings. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of Lahore High Court sees them as ‘most useful’ and says these must be adopted by development authorities. Justice Shah also directed (July 15) the Fire Commission to send these to Lahore Development Authority and City District Government to ensure their incorporation in future buildings to ensure residents’ safety and security on a long term basis. These recommendations were submitted in the court in response to a petition seeking measures against fire incidents.

These require Fire Commission to inspect all hi-rise buildings but added that LDA and CDGL had not provided the Commission a list of such buildings for initiating such a survey. Fire Commission’s recommendations include installation of external steel staircases, fire doors, hydrant systems, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, clear access, no obstructions in the exit path, evacuation plan and emergency lighting besides quick response teams in all 4 storey (38 ft high) or taller buildings.

The commission recommended that: 01. External steel staircases must be installed at all buildings taller than 38 feet for safe evacuation. 02. Buildings with 10,000 sq ft or more covered area must have a minimum of two external staircases, one on each side. 03. Emergency staircases must be separated from the main building preferably by two fire doors opening outwards. The fire doors shall be hinge type with a clear width of at least 3 feet and minimum of one hour fire resistant rating. 04. All hi-rise buildings must have an external or internal pressurised hydrant system running along the exit stairs.

05. The hydrant system should have independent power supply for its pumps. 06. All multi storey buildings should have independent over head water tank or an external underground tank to support the hydrant system. 07. Underground tank should be accessible to rescue services and vehicles at all times. 08. All four storey and taller buildings should have fire extinguishers for immediate needs. 09. The buildings should have comprehensive intelligent fire detection and alarm systems with detectors at all locations within the buildings. 10. Emergency vehicles be provided free access to buildings. 11. Buildings must prominently display evacuation plans at entrances. 12. Exit signs must be legible, displayed prominently and printed on florescent material guiding towards emergency exits.

13. Each such building should have a `Building Safety Manager` to ensure implementation of commission’s recommendations and ensure prompt evacuation. In the meantime Lahore Development Authority has begun to ask builders/ owners of 60 ft or higher commercial buildings constructed on 4 kanals (about 2,400 sq yards) or more to build helipads on rooftops for rescue work in case of emergencies like the May 9 fire in LDA Plaza. Present rules are silent about helipads and other safety measures. The new rule is being drafted as a result of Lahore High Court’s directive to LDA to amend rules to tackle LDA Plaza like incidents.

Had there been a helipad on LDA Plaza’s roof, many more people would have been rescued, said an LDA officer. High Court’s directions have moved LDA, CDGL and Pakistan Engineering Council to begin drafting rules for hosting helipads on hi-rise buildings. A LDA meeting also suggested installing sprinklers, emergency lights and rescue equipment at every floor of tall buildings. Under the new rules all multi storey buildings, except residential ones, will be required to have sprinklers on all floors (except basements). Another rule will require owners of completed buildings to arrange fire drills jointly with Rescue 1122 and city district government at least once a year for training building owners/ occupants on fire fighting and rescue measures. After Lahore, the new rules will be extended to Multan, Faisalabad etc.

Pakistan will go for more coal fired electricity than furnace oil. This is the main point of the 2013-18 power policy. The policy was finalized by Council of Common Interests on July 31. Energy mix will be changed in 3-5 years so that electricity prices remain affordable and load shedding is eliminated by gradual increase in generation. Increase in generation will be kept two steps ahead of demand to get rid of load shedding .

This will be attained mainly by substituting furnace oil with coal. Pakistan’s energy mix was topped by hydro power 20 years ago, said an official. PM Special Assistant on Energy Dr Musadik Malik said the new policy would eliminate supply – demand gap. We would set up ‘coal corridors’, ‘energy cities’ and ‘industrial corridors’ to attract investors. We would woo foreign investors here as the government is unable to spare $ 7-8 b from its resources. CCI deferred the issue of Federal Adjuster for a month as three provinces – Khyber, Sindh and Balochistan – did not agree with proposed mechanism.

The matter will be discussed by M/o Water & Power and 3 provinces. If required, the issue will be put back to CCI. Provinces are facing different issues. For instance, transmission in Balochistan is not high quality; and cannot be given full electricity. Electricity in Khyber is under attack. Muha-mmadi grid station – a key station destroyed by terrorists, is functioning at half capacity. Potential of hydro generation in Khyber is substantial and it intends more hydro power plants. Sindh has huge Thar coal which would be used for thermal power.

Sindh is the only province which has given its suggestions for the power policy. It urged giving Thar coal due importance in power generation. However, some suggestions appear to have been ignored in the new policy.

These points are: 1. Sindh wanted the ‘concept of provincial grids and tariff setting bodies’ includd in the proposed power policy. 2. It had wanted that development of transmission network be prioritised in case of Thar and coastal areas of Sindh. 3. Fiscal incentives for mining and power projects at Thar as approved by ECC be highlighted in the power policy to attract direct private/ foreign investment in Thar. 4. Fixed time frame be included in rules for implementing the policy on an immediate basis rather than allow amendments to cause further delay. Though the new policy rightly emphasizes use of Thar coal as ‘Fuel 1’, but strangely enough the policy is totally silent on adopting/ developing solar, wind and bio-gas as big sources of power. No explanation of this silence could be obtained immediately.

Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) supported by FIA teams raided (August 2) and cut 500 kunda connections and 300 non-payers of bills in Dadu and surrounding areas.

Over 50 FIRs against were also lodged for illegal connections. SEPCO removed 3 illegal transformers in Talti and Guduabad towns in Taluka Bhan Syedabad. According to a senior SEPCO officer outstanding amount against 300 non-payers of bills was about Rs 13 million.

All suspects involved in theft of electricity escaped during the raids.