Pakistan suffers 8,500 megawatts energy shortfall amid scorching heat

Karachi: Amid scorching heatwave-like conditions, Pakistan is facing an energy shortfall of over 8,500 megawatts, exacerbating the woes of its citizens.

According to sources, the country's total energy requirement stands at 28,500 megawatts, while the current production is around 20,000 megawatts.

With temperatures soaring above 40°C in many parts of the country, the demand for electricity to combat the heat has surged.

However, the power supply has been unable to meet the increased demand, leading to power outages.

In urban areas, people are enduring three to six hours of load-shedding daily, compared to the previously announced one to two hours between 7 pm and 5 am.

The situation is in contrast to the official announcement of up to four hours of outages within 24 hours.

However, the federal power minister presents a different perspective on the power demand and supply situation in the country.

Minister Khurram Dastagir claimed that power suspensions of over four hours per day are limited to only 3% of feeders in the national power grid, excluding K-Electric as it is a privately-owned entity.

Referring to power figures from June 23, 2023, he stated that a new national record was set with a total power demand of 30,089 megawatts.

He further claimed that 92% of feeders in the country experience less than three hours of load-shedding per day.

However, the data shared by the minister does not include power outages caused by technical failures or system overloading, as it solely focuses on the load management plan.

In Lahore, the capital of Punjab, Lahore Electric Power Company (LESCO) is grappling with a 1,000 megawatts shortfall.

The demand stands at 5,700 megawatts, while the supply is only at 4,700 megawatts.