Power crisis worsens across Pakistan as shortfall exceeds 4,000MW

LAHORE: The power crisis has intensified across the country, with the overall electricity shortfall exceeding 4,000 megawatts, according to National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) sources.

Several power plants have gone offline, while hydel power generation has also declined, sources said.

In Lahore, electricity demand has reached 4,000 megawatts against supply of 3,000 megawatts, according to sources.

Loadshedding of three to four hours has started in cities and rural areas as the power shortage worsens.

Sources said all DISCOs have suddenly increased the duration of loadshedding.

Meanwhile, Lahore is also facing a shortage of diesel after the gas shortage, sources said.

The claims of resolving the power shortage have failed to materialise as the shortfall could not be overcome, sources added.

Meanwhile, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) barred K-Electric (KE) from carrying out load shedding on the basis of losses and ordered it to immediately stop unannounced power outages, ARY News reported.

According to the NEPRA decision against K-Electric’s unannounced load shedding, the regulator declared load shedding based on ATC losses by KE illegal.

NEPRA said electricity supply to consumers who regularly pay their bills cannot be suspended on feeders with high losses. Consumers who pay their bills regularly cannot be punished for the failures of others, it added.

The regulator ordered K-Electric to adopt alternative measures against electricity theft and directed the company to disconnect the individual connections of people involved in power theft.

The decision stated that despite being fined, K-Electric had not made any changes to its operational procedures.

NEPRA further directed K-Electric to install ABC cables to reduce commercial and technical losses and prepare a plan for the purpose.