Pakistan’s electricity crisis has intensified, with the overall power shortfall widening to 6,500 megawatts, leading to prolonged and in many areas unannounced load shedding across the country.
Electricity demand has climbed to around 22,000MW, while total generation remains limited to about 15,400MW, leaving a large supply gap that is disrupting daily life in both urban and rural areas.
The current power mix includes 1,500MW from hydropower, 9,250MW from thermal sources, 1,200MW from wind, 2,850MW from nuclear, 400MW from solar, and 200MW from bagasse, according to the latest data.
The widening gap has resulted in 8 to 16 hours of load shedding in multiple regions, with consumers reporting that outages are significantly longer than what authorities have officially described as limited “load management.”
In Lahore, unannounced power cuts continued throughout the night, while officials said the Lahore Electric Supply Company region alone faced a 1,000MW shortfall, with peak nighttime demand touching 2,900MW. The Power Division earlier apologized for higher than promised load management, saying hydropower generation dropped by 1,991MW during peak night hours, contributing to a shortfall of around 4,500MW at that time.
Officials said the fall in hydropower output was caused by lower water releases from dams, while reduced generation from gas-based plants due to fuel shortages has further worsened the situation.
A senior Petroleum Division official also confirmed that LNG cargoes remain unavailable until early May, forcing the power sector to rely on limited domestic gas supplies. The impact is now being widely felt. In parts of Punjab, southern districts, and areas under MEPCO, residents say outages lasting 12 to 16 hours have become routine, while even major cities such as Lahore, Faisalabad, and Kasur are experiencing repeated cuts of three to eight hours