After a 6500MW shortage, power interruptions have returned.
Due to rising temperatures, power consumption has outpaced supply.
Load shedding, in which electricity is cut off for a period of time owing to a shortage, will affect people as the nation continues to deal with a severe heat wave.
Express News reports that the country’s daily load shedding will remain at 8–10 hours due to an increase in the electricity shortfall to 6,516 megawatts.
The Power Division reports that while the overall amount of electricity produced was 21,484 MW, the demand peaked at 28,000 MW.
There are currently 8,900 MW generated by private sector plants, 1,119 MW generated by solar power plants, and 956 MW generated by government thermal power plants.
Similarly, 3,164 MW are produced by nuclear power reactors and 152 MW are created from bagasse.
The announcement follows the government’s approval of a Rs328 billion power sector subsidy package, which would mostly be used to subsidize electricity costs for K-Electric (KE) customers and partially settle long-overdue bills for power projects along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet gave its approval for the government to subsidize energy costs for residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the tune of Rs56 billion, in addition to the Rs250.7 billion already granted for KE residents.