As if the current ongoing crises that the power sector is facing weren’t enough, the government, under the Ministry of Water & Power, decided to embark on yet another audacious adventure, that of installing Rental Power Plants.
If an optimistic reader were to accidentally think that these power plants would be really efficient, cost effective and state-of-the-art, let me be the first to bring you out of the bubble you are in by telling you that not only the critics in Pakistan have expressed their criticism and concern, but so has the Asian Development Bank (ADB), stating that the rental power plants are not suitable for Pakistan nor are they cost effective. The Auditor General of Pakistan at presented the audit report of the ministry of water and power and stated that there were five major irregularities with the Rental Power Plant deal. The report suggested that the irregularities had been committed from the invitation of the proposals right to the signing of the deal. Shouldn’t the wide spread power theft that is prevalent in the country be dealt with first rather than opting for an expensive and unreliable temporary solution? The Critics who suggest that the investment in RPPs is only a scheme by some venal politicians to get kickbacks, are they right?
Fourteen rental power plants are in the process of being set up to generate around 1500 MW to partially offset the current power generation deficit and the RPPs will commence power generation shortly. However, some of these are second hand power plants, some with manufacturing dates as old as 1992. Their effectiveness and efficiency, in conclusion, is debatable, as is the current affairs of the current government.
