A major power breakdown has hit multiple cities across the country. Sources say that major parts of Punjab including Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Bahawalpur and more, have been without electricity since roughly 9.20 am. Some parts of KPK have been affected as well.
According to some reports, the power failure has been caused by a breakdown at Tarbela power plant. Repair work has already commenced on the power plant, however, no timeline has been given for completion of repairs.
Work is also undergoing to get the Ghazi-Barotha hydel power plant online in order to combat the energy shortfall.
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Atomic Energy Commission has stated that lines from the Tarbela plant tripped and caused all four Chashma Nuclear Power Plants to trip as well. This in turn contributed to the major power breakdown today.
Additionally, a spokeperson from the Power Division mentioned that the breakdown happened at the Guddu-Muzaffargarh power line, adding to the massive energy shortfall throughout the country.
Many cities in Punjab are left without power such as Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and more.
In KPK, there’s no power in some cities such as Lakki Marwat, Peshawar and Swat.
Awais Leghari, while speaking in the National Assembly today, said the situation will improve in a few hours. The Power Minister added that a full report will be submitted by evening today regarding the reasons behind the breakdown of power throughout the country.
It should be mentioned that repairs at Tarbela power plant in the past have taken as long as 7-8 hours to complete.
The power breakdown didn’t even spare operations at the New Islamabad International Airport. The offices of airlines, baggage handling, and the Airport Security Force base camp, are currently without power, according to reports.
As of 4:00 pm, the power has not been restored. Due to the extended blackout, small businesses are being affected and people have taken to social media in anger. Despite the assurance of the Power Minister, the situation is yet to resolve.
From today, industries in Punjab will face load-shedding of 10 hours, according to an official from the Power Ministry.
Update 2 (4:00 pm): Power is slowly being restored in some areas. Electricity has been restored in Multan and 80% of Islamabad as per recent reports.
The Ghazi-Barotha hydel power plant has been brought back online, which has helped eased the power crunch in limited areas.