Edited By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Last Updated: January 23, 2023, 11:38 AM IST
Islamabad/Lahore/Karachi, Pakistan
A man uses battery powered light while working at a shop during a power breakdown in Karachi, Pakistan (Image: Reuters)
The power breakdown will take at least 12 hours to restore, the Pakistan energy minister Dastagir said
Pakistan’s major cities including capital Islamabad suffered a major power outage on Monday morning and authorities have said that it could take at least 12 hours to restore electricity.
The busy Monday morning was marred due to the power cut which was triggered by a ‘frequency variation’, according to a report by Pakistan-based news outlet Geo News.
Large parts of Pakistan including major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta are now without electricity. Pakistan energy minister Khurram Dastagir Khan said that it will take 12 hours to restore power completely and also told Geo News that the power generation units were shut down in winter at night to save fuel costs.
According to initial reports, the system frequency of the National Grid went down at 7:34 am this morning, due to which there was a widespread breakdown in the power system. January 23, 2023
He told Geo News that this is not a major crisis.
“According to initial reports, the system frequency of the National Grid went down at 7:34 this morning, causing a widespread breakdown in the power system. System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” Pakistan ministry of power said in a tweet.
Dastagir while speaking to the news outlet explained that operators noticed a frequency variation when they turned on systems on Monday morning in Dadu and Jamshoro, which are in southern Pakistan. He said that led to fluctuation in voltage and the power generating units were shut down.
He added that it was not a major crisis and power has been restored in areas which fall under Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) grid stations. He said grids belonging to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) have also been restored.
Dastagir was quick to point out that Karachi has a complicated system when it comes to power generation as it has a complete electric supply system of its own, according to Geo News.
The Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), according to the Geo News report, said that its two transmission lines tripped leaving 22 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta without electricity.
“My target is to restore electricity in the country in the next 12 hours,” Dastagir was quoted as saying by Geo News.
(this is a developing story, more details will be added)
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