Pakistan’s electricity shortfall has exceeded 4,000 megawatts as several power plants have gone offline and hydropower generation has declined, leading to three to four hours of load-shedding in cities and rural areas.
The situation is more severe in the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) region, where the electricity shortfall has crossed 1,500MW.
Citing LESCO sources, media reports stated that the increase in the shortfall was linked to reduced availability of diesel, gas and hydropower.
According to the reports, consumers could face severe power outages over the coming days if the supply situation does not improve.
In Lahore, electricity demand has reached 4,000MW against a supply of 3,000MW, leaving a gap of 1,000MW. The city is also facing a shortage of diesel following the gas shortage.
Across the country, all Distribution Companies (DISCOs) have increased the duration of load-shedding as the power shortage continues. Claims of resolving the electricity shortage have not materialised as the shortfall remains above 4,000MW.
Meanwhile, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has barred K-Electric (KE) from carrying out load-shedding on the basis of losses and ordered the company to immediately stop unannounced power outages.
According to the NEPRA decision, the regulator declared load-shedding based on ATC losses by KE illegal.
NEPRA stated that electricity supply to consumers who regularly pay their bills cannot be suspended on feeders with high losses. The regulator said that consumers who pay their bills regularly cannot be punished for the failures of others.
NEPRA directed KE to adopt alternative measures against electricity theft and disconnect individual connections of people involved in power theft.
The regulator also stated that KE had not changed its operational procedures despite being fined.
