On Wednesday, the power shortage reached an all-time high of 7,500 MW, resulting in major load shedding lasting over 10 hours in metropolitan regions and up to 18 hours in rural areas.
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.
Despite the government’s assurances, electricity generation could not be raised above 20,000 megawatts. According to current information, power generation was at 19,200 MW, while demand had risen to a whopping 26,700 MW.
Natural gas-fired power plants, coal-fired power plants, and furnace oil-fired thermal facilities have all come to a halt.
Imported coal plants are currently operating at only 25% of their full capacity, and three large furnace oil factories have been completely shut down.
Furthermore, due to poor hydrological conditions in the river basin, electricity generation was significantly lower than usual at this time of year.
According to official figures, hydropower output was just 4,200 MW, despite a total installed capacity of 9,000 MW. As a result, power outages occurred every half-hour for two to three hours in a metropolitan metropolis like Lahore on Wednesday.
This unprecedented level of electrical load shedding has never been seen in the last two decades.
To read our blog on “Load-shedding continues as the power shortage reaches 5,538 MW,” click here.
