Power outages revisit Lahore

Lesco official promises respite at Sehr, Iftar times despite shortfall

LAHORE:

With a rise in the mercury level, unscheduled and frequent power outages have returned to the provincial capital and other parts of the country.

Electricity shortfall has touched 5,000 megawatts (MW) with rise in demand in the country.

Speaking to The Express Tribune on Thursday, several citizens complained about frequent and prolonged power outages in their neighbourhoods. Muhammad Rashid, a resident of Township, highlighted that electricity supply to his area was disrupted about a dozen times on Thursday, days before the start of Ramazan. "There is no schedule of power outages in the city. Unannounced electricity load-shedding is being observed in almost all areas of the metropolis.”

Similar complaints were made by several other citizens from different parts of the city.

An official of the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) disclosed that the demand in the provincial capital had risen to 4,100MW, while the company was getting 3,100MW supply from the national grid. "Right now, there is a shortage of around 1,000 MW in the city which leaves the power utility with no other option but to shed load," he added. He, however, claimed that the company had decided to ensure that there would be no power outages at Sehr and Iftar times during the holy month.

Sources in the power sector revealed that several thermal plants had been shut down owing to limited availability of fuel. The power utility has already forwarded its demand and supply statistics to the Power Division for formulating a zero load-shedding strategy during Sehr and Iftar times. Meanwhile, a panel of lawyers has filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court against frequent unannounced and unscheduled load-shedding in the city. They have made the LESCO and other agencies concerned a party in the case and asked the court of law to intervene as up to 12-hour unannounced load-shedding has crippled life in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2022.