At least 60% of Karachi was reportedly blacked out. PHOTO: MOHAMMAD NOMAN/ EXPRESS
Water and Power Secretary Rai Sikander said that more than 5000MWs were added to the national grid which helped restore power to several areas across the country including Karachi, Lahore and cities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The secretary formed a four-member committee, on orders of the prime minister, to inquire into the incident. The committee, headed by Wapda official Qasim Khan, will present a report in seven days.
Hubco Managing Director Zafar Sobani, talking to Express News, refuted reports that the blackout happened after Hubco units experienced technical faults. “Our control room kept informing the NPCC at night that the load is increasing and the frequency is going down. We have it on record,” he said.
“They [NPCC] said that they were working on the issue, but I guess they could not manage the load,” Sobani added.
The MD said that Hubco has four units, each of 300MW, and all of them were working when the blackout occurred. “One unit has been restored, another will be restored in an hour.”
Earlier during the day, National Power Control Centre (NPCC) General Manager Masood Akhtar said that electricity across the country will be restored around 11am.
The general manager added that Karachi will be provided electricity from the Jamshoro plant.
Around 70% of the country plunged into darkness on Sunday night as the technical faults in NPCC led to a blackout in all major urban centres including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad and Faisalabad.
The blackout disrupted supply of around 400 million gallons water in Karachi. According to sources, water supply from Papri, Gharo, NEK and Hub Dam to Karachi was halted.
An official in the power sector had said that the problem could have emerged as the 550MW Uch power plant had stopped working. According to the official, the system tripped due to low generation and high electricity demand across the country.
After the Uch power plant tripped, Hub power plant followed, causing a failure in Karachi Electric Supply Company’s transmission system. Subsequently, Mangla and Tarbela powerhouses went down as well.
At least 60% of Karachi was reportedly blacked out.
COMMENTS (20)
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@Pak: You are a nuclear power not by you,but by china and every one in the world know facts.Now your country power is declining and we are catching up fast like a global player.Forget global player, pakistan is not even a regional player in world stage.Your false pride will not last long. Even today pakistan cannot match us militarily.We are strategically located between India and China and have great potential.Next few years we will rank higher than pakistan in global fire power.Need i say more???
@Dhaka We are a Nuclear Power Need I say more...
@Inpaba: Check below that we have given aid to your country.Now tell me who is the youngest one.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=25387
Your country will not be recovered if we stop aid to you.Remember
@Dhaka, Khabardar ! You are youngest of us (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh ) siblings . Younger ones always follow elder ones. Now its your turn to follow elder brothers and show our unity to the world )) . Nothing can separate us even in darkness .
Hi Hi No blackout in bangladesh.Shows we are more powerful than pakistan in managing power sector and upcoming regional power than pakistan
it's 3:15pm. No electricity in lahore.
"General Manager Masood Akhtar said that electricity across the country will be restored around 11am." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Give or take a week here or there.He was careful not to declare the date!
India exploded a nuclear device and Pakistan did the same +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ India has a country wide black out and now Pakistan managed the same. What next?
@numbersnumbers: "Will the last (sane) person leaving Pakistan please turn out the lights!!!" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ No Need to switch off...the Electricity Company did that long ago.
@numbersnumbers: Funny ! :) The "good name of Pakistan" was a nice touch.
@Ayesha Bhaalay: 2.5 hrs passed. Still blackout in Rawalpindi here :( What is the hurry ?
2.5 hrs passed. Still blackout in Rawalpindi here :(
During this breakdown many SMS were making rounds that Army has taken over the country. I also received one and as such could not sleep whole night. I would request the authorities concerned to dig out from where this news originated? We all love democracy and as such would love to see it prosper. It is time to check anti-state and anti-democratic forces through state machinery.
We can aid pakistan to restore there power projects.High time for pakistan to get our expertise.
This nationwide blackout towards the end of this government’s regime just sums up and epitomizes very clearly what they have done for Pakistan over the last 5 years! These 5 years will definitely be referred to in history as Pakistan's ‘darkest days’.
They have failed miserably at tackling every national issue that the country has faced during their tenure and have run all state owned enterprises into the ground. There is absolutely no system or rule of law. This has had dire effects on Pakistan’s economy as well.
Rather than progressing we are truly heading back into the stone ages.
Will the last (sane) person leaving Pakistan please turn out the lights!!! No doubt this will also be called a "conspiracy" to smear the good name of Pakistan by the usual "foreign hand" suspects (though since the lights are all out it is difficult to clearly see just whose "agents" are responsible, though we can all be sure that the politicians feel right at home since they have always appeared to be in the dark about everything anyhow)!!!
"Electricity will be restored in one hour: National Power Control Centre" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The report fails to mention when will the one hour period commence or when will it be completed. Pls wake up editors, you run a newspaper!
Except for a Solar Panel Manufacturer which Industrialist will invest in Pakistan ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ where demand is 11000 MW and generation 8500 MW.