Public Domain Picture: (Left to Right): USAID Provincial Director Jeffrey Bakken, CEO LESCO Muhammad Arshad Rafiq, U.S. Consul General Nina Maria Fite, and USAID Mission Director Gregory Gottlieb inaugurating the Power Distribution Control Center at LESCO

U.S. Improves LESCO’s Capacity to Reduce Load-Shedding Lahore, February 6, 2014: Marking a milestone in U.S. support to Pakistan’s energy sector, U.S. Consul General Nina Maria Fite inaugurated the Power Distribution Control Center at the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO). The LESCO center was established with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and will enable LESCO to monitor the flow of power through their grid stations. The new meters will verify actual power flow and reduce unplanned load-shedding. “This project will provide real-time access to electricity load data to managers of Pakistan’s electricity grid and help LESCO overcome unscheduled load-shedding,” said Consul General Fite. “The U.S. Government and the American people are committed to assisting the Government of Pakistan to improve the power distribution system throughout Pakistan. We partner with power distribution companies to improve their operations, reduce losses, and ultimately make sure that the Pakistani people have a more reliable power supply.” Unplanned load-shedding is one of the leading challenges in the country’s power crisis, costing Pakistan an estimated two percent of its Gross Domestic Product and 400,000 jobs in 2012. Load-shedding is a consequence of the imbalance between electricity generation and demand, and only increased generation will completely eliminate load-shedding. Unscheduled load-shedding, however, is the result of a lack of real-time energy consumption data and can be reduced by improved monitoring systems, such as the USAID project inaugurated at LESCO. USAID’s five-year Power Distribution Program seeks to work jointly with government-owned DISCOs in Pakistan to improve their performance, reducing losses and improving revenues and customer services. Through this program and many others, the United States provides assistance to the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to reform the power sector and end the current energy shortfall. More information about the Power Distribution Program can be found on the program’s website at pdip.pk.

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May 19, 2014