KARACHI: The country’s overall electricity generation during August 2019 remained flat at 14,052 gigawatt hours (GWh) as against 14,017 GWh in the corresponding month of last year, official data showed on Friday.
Hydroelectric power production hit a historic high at 5,668 GWh in August 2019 as the environment-friendly and cheap energy resource made a major contribution to the total energy mix.
The high production from the renewable energy source helped reduce the country’s reliance on expensive oil-based power generation and slashed the overall cost of production by 13% to Rs4.83 per unit.
Coal-based power generation increased 39 percent in August. Cumulatively in 2MFY20, a notable rise of 27 percent was witnessed in coal-based electricity generation, thereby indicating government’s resolve to increase reliance on low-cost power generation.
Furnace oil-based generation fell 69% to 506 GWh. Fuel cost of coal-based generation decreased 13% while power production from the source increased 40% in the month under review. Nuclear-based power generation – also a cheap source – went up 4%.
However, the generation based on locally produced gas, which was a much cheaper fuel than the imported RLNG, showed a decline of 18.2% to 1,668 GWh. RLNG-based generation increased marginally by 0.9%, which was an expensive source of power generation.
