The Power Division has said that due to global conditions and the unavailability of liquefied natural gas (LNG), electricity generation from power plants with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts could not be utilised.
In a statement issued regarding the power situation during peak evening hours on April 27, the spokesperson said that increased water discharge from Tarbela Dam during the night resulted in higher hydropower generation. He added that total hydropower generation reached 6,000 megawatts during peak hours last night, while the country’s total hydropower capacity stands at 11,500 megawatts.
According to the spokesperson, the increase in hydropower generation helped stabilise the national grid from the southern region, allowing additional power plants to generate electricity through local gas supplies. This facilitated an additional 100 megawatts to the system, while a total of 500 megawatts was transmitted from the southern region to the national grid.
He further stated that distribution companies carried out load management for one to two hours during peak demand hours. However, due to improved hydropower generation, load management remained limited to no more than two hours despite high electricity demand.
The Power Division said that load management is being implemented on high-loss feeders under the economic load management policy, which is separate from peak-hour load shedding. It added that improved LNG availability and increased water discharge are expected to eliminate evening shortfalls in the system.