Disruption of fuel supply triggering prolong power outages

The power crisis across the country has aggravated in the wake of non-supply of LNG and furnace oil to the electricity producing companies triggering a 7,468MW shortfall of electricity, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

According to sources in power division, the closed power generation plants could not be reopened owing to some technical reasons. They disclosed that supply of required LNG and furnace oil could not be made to these plants.

So far, Nandipur Power Plant, Muzaffargarh Atlas, TPS Jamshoro and several other power plants are shut and not producing electricity. 

Sources said the total electricity production in the country is 18,031MW while its demand is 25,500MW. Hence the shortfall is 7,468MW. 

Power division sources further informed that our total electricity generation capacity is 36,016MW. 

Giving a breakdown, sources revealed the country is producing 3,674MW electricity through hydro power plants. Government thermal power plants are producing mere 786MW electricity, they added.

The private power producers are generating 9,526MW electricity. The wind turbines are adding 487MW to the national grid; solar power plants 104MW; bagasse 141MW; and from nuclear power house, 3,312MW electricity is being produced. 

The 7,468MW shortfall of electricity is causing long hours of power outages across the country. 

All major cities are experiencing 8-10 hours long loadshedding. In areas, where electricity losses are high, the duration of power outages is as long as 18 hours.

In Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and other cities, the loadshedding duration is long. In Karachi, 10-hour long loadshedding is being observed. Citizens are facing numerous problems in the month of Ramazan as loadshedding is being carried out during Sehri and Iftar times.

PM Shehbaz says fixing power crisis 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his Twitter handle stated that the loadshedding was result of PTI government’s mishandling of things as they neither purchased fuel in time nor repaired power plants whereas the costly power generation through inefficient plants was costing people Rs100 billion per month. He said his government was trying to fix it. 

Mian Nawaz Sharif's govt ended the worst load-shedding in 5 years. PTI govt neither purchased fuel in time nor repaired power plants. Hence the current load-shedding. Costly power generation through inefficient plants is costing the people Rs.100 billion/month. We are fixing it.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 25, 2022

Reporter Awais Kiyani