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USAID to continue support LESCO
Lahore, February 29, 2012: A team of USAID officials led by Ms. Melissa Knight, USAID Energy Office Director, visited Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) to discuss the ongoing projects of USAID for LESCO and received briefing from the CEO LESCO, Sherafat Ali Sial about the performance of LESCO. The projects undertaken by USAID Power Distribution Program for LESCO were also discussed and results achieved so far were presented by LESCO. The USAID team along with LESCO officials then visited the Nargis feeder of Allama Iqbal Town where meter checking, fixing and replacement project has been carried out under USAID Power Distribution Program in collaboration with LESCO.
The CEO of LESCO thanked and greatly appreciated the assistance provided by USAID to LESCO under the USAID Power Distribution Program and expressed his wishes for strengthening cooperation between the USAID and LESCO on Automatic Meter Reading (AMR), congested area strategy project , capacity building and institutional development trainings for LESCO officers and staff. He further said that the presently key requirement of LESCO was institutional improvement through capacity building and training and requested USAID to help in that through its Power Distribution Program.
The USAID director of energy, Melissa Knight appreciated the performance of LESCO and 99% collection efficiency. She congratulated LESCO for 23 % loss reduction in the month of January on Nargis feeder as a result of USAID’s intervention. She said that Government of United States was very keen to assist Pakistan in the present energy crisis. The most crucial aspect is the gap between supply and demand and improvement of efficiency of operations at DISCO level.
The three-year USAID Power Distribution Program was announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009 as one of the U.S. efforts to support Pakistan Power Sector. Through this program, the U.S. Government provides support to Government of Pakistan to reform the power sector to mitigate the current energy crisis. The program is helping government-owned electric power distribution companies (DISCOs) improve their commercial performance in reducing losses, increasing revenues, and improving customer services by introduction of new technology and improved work practices. More information: http://pdip.pk.
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