An increase in electricity shortage, which has reached around 4,000 megawatts, has led to power distribution firms (Discos) enforcing loadshedding across the country. Five districts are impacted by the approximately 1,000MW shortfall that the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) alone is facing.
Officials said the shortage has been going on since several days as dense fog triggers repeated tripping of power plants in the southern region, while hydel power generation remains minimal during winter months.
An official who asked to remain anonymous told a private media source, “When we compare the situation with the previous year, electricity demand has increased by approximately 2,000MW in winter, mainly due to the extensive use of heating appliances.”
The official added that reduced gas supply to Lahore-based power plants, along with the closure of a unit at the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant, has further limited generation capacity. This has left Discos with no option but to implement loadshedding in Punjab, Sindh, and other provinces.
The situation has gotten worse over the past four to five days, according to another official, after some power facilities in the southern region went off the grid as a result of tripping brought on by heavy fog. “The Matiari-Lahore High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission line supplies power to Punjab, particularly Lahore, from these plants,” the official continued, adding that restoration work is still in progress.
Consumers have complained about load shedding lasting three to six hours a day in urban regions and six to ten hours a day in rural areas. “Forced loadshedding has been continuing for three to five hours daily, while rural areas, especially in interior Sindh, are facing eight to twelve hours each day,” stated a Sukkur resident.
A Lahore-based resident noted, “Forced loadshedding is lasting three to six hours daily. In addition, we are also facing water shortages from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) because tube-wells are not operational, leading to no warm water supply during the cold weather.”
LESCO has continued loadshedding in Lahore and surrounding districts due to a shortfall exceeding 1,100MW in total consumption of over 3,200MW during peak hours.
Lesco Chief Executive Officer Ramzan Butt explained, “At present, hydel power generation is zero. Consumers previously using solar net-metering systems have returned to Lesco’s supply as their solar equipment is not generating due to dense fog. Several power plants also went off the grid because of tripping caused by fog. This all contributed to the shortfall in our total consumption.”