Load shedding will not be completely eliminated, according to Federal Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir, but its severity will be reduced in the coming weeks.
He told the reporters that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would decide on the early market closure.
Meanwhile, Pakistan remains in the midst of a catastrophic electrical crisis, with load shedding intensifying even after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the situation yesterday and instructed the authorities to limit suspensions to no more than two hours each day.
According to the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), the country is facing a power shortage of about 7,300MW, with demand reaching 27,300MW compared to 20,000MW of supply.
Unannounced power outages have occurred in all regions of the country, including Punjab, and have lasted anywhere from 8 to 14 hours per day.
Frequent tripping is also doing havoc on household appliances. The Energy Ministry has been criticized by the power distribution firms (DISCOs) for the disruptions.
Despite the existing government’s claims to have permanently solved the problem, the duration of power outages has yet to be reduced. Instead, it appears like the gap between power demand and supply is widening with each passing day.
To read our blog on “Power shortage has reached a new high of 7,500 megawatts (MW),” click here.
