LAHORE – People in Lahore, and parts of Pakistan have been hit by double whammy amid extremely hot weather and unannounced load shedding, as power shortfall crossed 5,500 megawatts on Saturday.
The electricity shortage worsened amid massive increase in demand. LESCO and other power companies are struggling to meet the increasing demand, resulting in frequent power outages across the regions.
Amid the soaring temperatures, the country of 240 million is facing a worsening energy crisis as electricity demand rises, surpassing the available supply. National Power Control Centre (NPCC) reported a demand of 25,500 megawatts, while the total production is only 20,200MW, leading to a shortfall of over 5,000MW and increased load shedding in both urban and rural areas.
Urban areas are facing 4-6 hours of power outages, with an additional six-hour maintenance-related load shedding while rural areas are experiencing over eight hours of load shedding.
Areas with high losses and theft are enduring 12 to 16 hours of load shedding.
Islamabad and Rawalpindi are also facing four to six hours of load shedding for maintenance purposes. Despite efforts to increase power generation, the energy deficit remains. Currently, 6,200MW of electricity are generated from hydropower sources, with significant contributions from various dams and thermal plants.
The circular debt in the energy sector has reached $17.5 billion, posing a significant challenge to the sector’s operations and Pakistan’s economy. Urgent reforms are needed to address inefficiencies and reduce the mounting debt to stabilize the power supply and alleviate the financial strain on the country.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/25-Jun-2023/load-shedding-in-pakistan-worsens-as-shortfall-exceeds-8-500mw
