ENERGY CRISIS

TOIC:ENERGY CRISIS

INTRODUCTION

Pakistan is in the grip of a serious energy crisis that is affecting all sectors of the economy and the various segments of the society.Energy is considered to be life line of any economy and most vital instrument of socioeconomic development of a country. Energy is pivotal in running machinery in factories and industrial units, for lighting our cities and powering our vehicles etc.

As a nation we have run out of fuel. In 1955 when Sui gas fields were discovered in Dera Bugti area of Balochistan, it was believed that our energy future had been secured. With 12 TCF (trillion cubic feet) of natural gas it was the largest deposit of the world at that time. Karachi being the capital of ‘Asli Pakistan’ was the first to receive the gas, other cities followed. Today the country has one of the best distribution networks of underground pipeline spread over 20,000 kilometers. There are two major companies, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), that manage the system and distribute gas.

Ad-hocism that took over the country in October 1958 has continued unabated till today. This gift of nature was grossly mismanaged and misused; today the deposit stands at 2 TCF. New deposits have not been developed and a nation that was once energy surplus faces acute shortages.Today Pakistan faces serious power and gas shortages. At peak demand power is short by about 5,000MW while gas shortage is about 1,200 mmcf

Energy Resources are of an integral importance for the progress of any country. For Pakistan the importance of its Energy Resources gets two fold as Pakistan is a developing country. The challenging task to locate, explore and access these resources is the only way to get out of poverty crisis that is after the innocent population of 1.5 million. Pakistan is, in fact, quite rich in energy resources. Almighty has bestowed Pakistan with a huge reservoir of fine quality minerals, metallic and non-metallic, a good flowing hydal power and lots more. Lot many resources have been located and are been utilized for the power projects but still a huge amount is still hidden under heavy rocks and waiting for the human hand to explore them.

This absolute importance of energy resources gives birth to the Energy Crisis in Pakistan. The main factors responsible for this predicament are the energy exhaustion and unavailability of resources to locate new reservoirs and if located, inadequate means to extract them.

Pakistan Energy Sectors

Pakistan’s energy infrastructure is not well developed, rather it is considered to be underdeveloped and poorly managed. Currently the country is facing severe energy crisis. Despite of strong economic growth and rising energy demand during past decade, no serious efforts have been made to install new capacity of generation. Moreover, rapid demand growth, transmission losses due to outdated infrastructure, power theft, and seasonal reductions in the availability of hydropower have worsened the situation. Consequently, the demand exceeds supply and hence load-shedding is a common phenomenon through power shutdown. 
Energy Supply

During 2009-10, Energy supply and per capita availability of energy witnessed a decline of 0.64 % and 3.09 % respectively in comparison to previous year. 

Pakistan needs around 15,000 to 20000 MW electricity per day, however, currently it is able to produce about 11,500 MW per day hence there is a shortfall of about 4000 to 9000 MW per day. This shortage is badly hampering the economic growth of the country. 


Energy Consumption

Pakistan’s energy consumption is met by mix of gas, oil, electricity, coal and LPG sources with different level of shares. Share of gas consumption stood at 43.7 %, followed by oil 29.0 percent, electricity 15.3 percent, coal 10.4 percent and LPG 1.5 percent. 

Sources Of Energy In Pakistan

Non Renewable Resources

A nonrenewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption. Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas and coal are considered nonrenewable resources in that their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years

Non-renewable resources can generally be separated into two main categories; fossil fuels and nuclear fuels
Fossil Fuels

Following are the main energy resources under this class:

coal: 7.6%, hydro electricity: 11.0% and nuclear electricity: 1.2%.

·         Fossil fuels are derived from organic matter which has been trapped between layers of sediments within the Earth for millions of years.

·         The organic matter, typically plants, have decomposed and compressed over time, leaving what are known as fossil fuel deposits. 

·         These deposits, and the materials produced from them, tend to be highly combustible, making them an ideal energy source. 

·         They are difficult to obtain as they are typically retrieved through drilling or mining, but fossil fuels are worth the effort for the sheer amount of energy they produce. 

Crude Oil/Petroleum

Crude oil is a non-renewable resource that builds up in liquid form between the layers of the Earth’s crust.

It is retrieved by drilling deep into the ground and pumping the liquid out. The liquid is then refined and used to create many different products.

Crude oil is a very versatile fuel and is used to produce things like plastics, artificial food flavorings, heating oil, petrol, diesel, jet fuel, and propane.

The top three oil-producing countries are Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

Natural Gas

Pakistan is among the most gas dependent economies of the world. Natural gas was first discovered in 1952 at Sui in Balochistan province which proved a most significant and largest gas reservoir. After successful exploration and extraction, it was brought to service in 1955. This major discovery at Sui followed a number of medium and small size gas fields in other part of the country.

Natural gasses gather below the Earth’s crust and, like crude oil, must be drilled for and pumped out.

Methane and ethane are the most common types of gasses obtained through this process.

These gasses are most commonly used in home heating as well as gas ovens and grills.

Russia, Iran, and Qatar are the countries with the largest recorded natural gas reserves.

Coal

coal is the last of the major fossil fuels. Created by compressed organic matter, it is solid like rock and is obtained via mining.

Out of all countries, China produces the most coal by far.

According to the Statistical Review of World Energy, published in 2011 by BP, they produced an astounding 48.3% (3,240 million tons) of the world’s coal in 2010, followed by the United States who produced a mere 14.8%.

Coal is most typically used in home heating and the running of power plants. 

Pakistan hopes to use coal as an alternative to imported oil. At present coal constitute only 7.6 % of our primary energy supplies. Total coal resource potential of Pakistan is estimated to be around 185 billion tonnes, out of which about 175 billion tonnes are located in Thar desert, Sindh province which is the 5th largest single coal field in the world. The quality /rank of coal ranges from sub-bituminous to lignitic. The Thar coal is lignite-B but it is low in sulphur and ash content. Historically the coal consumption in Pakistan has come down with increase in gas consumption. There is a great scope for large scale utilization of coal in power generation. Already, a power plant of 150 MW capacity using Lakhra coal is in operation in Sindh province.

Nuclear Fuels

The other form of non-renewable resource used to produce energy, nuclear fuels, is primarily obtained through the mining and refining of uranium ore.

·         Uranium is a naturally occurring element found within the Earth's core. 

·         Most uranium deposits occur in small quantities which miners gather together, refine, and purify. 

·         Once gathered, the uranium is brought together and compounded into rods. 

·         The rods are then submersed into tanks of water. 

·         When it reaches critical mass, uranium begins to break down and release energy which heats the water it is immersed in. This is known as "fission."

·         The heated water then creates pressure and it is this pressure which drives the turbines that generate the electricity we use everyday.

·         Nuclear fuels are key to maintaining the Earth's environment since they are the cleanest of all non-renewable resources.

Renewable Resources

A renewable resource is a resource which is replaced naturally and can be used again. Examples are: oxygen, fresh water, solar energy, timber, and biomass. Renewable resources may also include goods commodities such as wood, paper and leather

Hydro Power

Hydropower is electricity generated using the energy of moving water. Rain or melted snow, usually originating in hills and mountains, create streams and rivers that eventually run to the ocean. The energy of that moving water can be substantial, as anyone who has been whitewater rafting knows.

A typical hydro plant is a system with three parts: an electric plant where the electricity is produced; a dam that can be opened or closed to control water flow; and a reservoir where water can be stored

In the late 19th century, hydropower became a source for generating electricity. The first hydroelectric power plant was built at Niagara Falls in 1879

Pakistan is a country having abundant hydropower resources, Pakistan is endowed with hydropower resources of about 60000 MW, allmost all of which lie in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K). Electricity is a stimulator for the socio-economic uplift of a country. However, today about 70% of the Pakistan's population has access to electricity

The hydropower resources in Pakistan are mainly located in the mountainous areas in northern region of the Country. The hydropower resources in the south being scarce mainly comprise of small to medium schems on barrages and canal falls. The hydropower resources of Pakistan can be divided into following six regions

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

• Gilgit –Baltistan

• Punjab

• Sindh

• Azad Jammu & Kashmir

• Balochistan

Alternative Energy Resources

Alternative energy encompasses all those things that do not consume fossil fuel. They are widely available and environment friendly. They cause little or almost nopollution. There have been several alternative energy projects running in various countries to reduce our dependence on traditional fossil fuels. There are many impressive options that you can take into consideration. Here in you will learn more about alternative energy sources that you can take into consideration.

Solar Energy

Solar is the first energy source in the world. It was in use much earlier before humans even learn how to light a fire. Many living things are dependent on solar energy from plants, aquatic life and the animals. The solar is mostly used in generating light and heat. The solar energy coming down to the planet is affected by the orbital path of the sun and its variations within the galaxy. In addition, it is affected by activity taking place in space and on the sun. It was this energy that is believed to have been responsible for the breaking of ice during the ice age, which creates the separation of lands and sea.

Solar energy is one the alternative energy source that is used most widely across the globe. About 70% of the sunlight gets reflected back into the space and we have only 30% of sunlight to meet up our energy demands. While solar energy is used for producing solar energy, it is also used for drying clothes, used by plants during the process of photosynthesis and also used by human beings during winter seasons to make their body temperature warm. Solar energy can be extracted either by Solar Thermal or using Photovoltaic (PV) Cells

There are two kinds of solar energy the active solar energy and the passive solar energy. Passive solar energy basically uses duration, position and sun’s rays intensity to its advantage in heating a particular area. It also uses it to induce airflow from an area to the next. Active solar energy uses electrical technology and mechanical technology like collection panels in capturing, converting and storing of energy for future use.

Solar energy does not create any pollution and is widely used by many countries.

Wind Energy

This is one of the energy sources that have been in use for a very long time and for centuries. It was used in powering sailing ships, which made it possible for explorers to sail around their trade routes in distant lands. A single windmill can power the crop irrigation, and the family energy needs, water pumping and electric lights. However, in the present time there are several windmills that are used to generate required energy mostly for industrial uses. Many of the wind turbines can capture much power all at once before feeding it to the power grid. This is commonly know as wind farms and has been in use for many years all round the world. It is only the United States that is going slow in terms of accepting this alternative energy source.

Wind power is renewable source of energy and reduces our alliance on foreign countries for supply of oil and gas. It does not cause any air pollution and have created several jobs in last few decades. 

Biomass Energy

This is the process by which an alternative energy is generated through conversion of biological materials and wastes into forms that can be used as energy sources for heating, power generation and transportation. Those carbon based substances or materials converted over a long period of time to fossil fuels are not regarded as biomass. However, in their original state they are regarded as biomass. This is because of the separation of the carbon they previously contained from the carbon cycle. This makes them figure differently affecting carbon dioxide levels in air.

Biomass energy has been around since ancient times when people use to burn wood or coal to heat their homes or prepare food. 

Tidal

 Tidal power basically involves using kinetic energy from the incoming and outgoing tides. The difference in high tides and low tides are also important in this respect. There is a lot of energy that can be harnessed from waves for use. It is another form of hydropower. The rise and fall of ocean tides are captured by tidal energy generators which turn turbines. The movement of turbines is responsible for producing electricity. In short, tidal energy generator captures the kinetic motion of the tides and converts them into electrical energy. The main advantage of tidal energy is that it is completely renewable and are much more predictable than wave energy. Learn more about the tidal energy here.