Pakistan suffers major power outage, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore without power for hours
1 min read . Updated: 23 Jan 2023, 10:48 AM IST
Premium- The electricity outage was reported in all major cities including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad
Pakistan suffered country-wide power cuts early on Monday due to a major breakdown in its national grid, the federal energy ministry said.
"According to initial information, at about 7:34 AM (local time) today, the National Grid experienced a loss of frequency, that caused a major breakdown. A swift work is on to revive the system," the ministry said in a statement.
The electricity outage was reported in all major cities including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, the capital, local media reported. It may take up to 12 hours to fully restore the power, Geo said, citing minister Khurram Dastgir Khan.
A frequency variation was reported in the southern part of the country between the cities of Jamshoro and Dadu when systems were turned on Monday morning, power minister Khurrum Dastagir told Geo TV channel.
"There was a fluctuation in voltage and the systems were shut down one by one. This is not a major crisis," Dastagir said.
Some grids in the country had already been restored, the minister added.
The two transmission lines from Guddu to Quetta tripped, according to Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO). The company added that 22 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, are without power, Geo News reported.
Pakistan this month announced a new energy conservation plan as its fragile economy continues to struggle with multiple challenges including the country's foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to alarmingly low levels.
Earlier in October last year, Pakistan experienced a major power breakdown that deprived large swathes of the country, including provincial capitals Karachi and Lahore, of electricity, for more than 12 hours.
*With agency inputs
