Punjab faces prolonged power outages as supply shortfall widens

LAHORE: Residents in several parts of Punjab have reported extended electricity outages as power distribution companies contend with a widening gap between supply and demand, according to information shared by consumers and officials.

The situation was described as more severe in rural areas, particularly those served by the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco), where outages are being observed every hour and, in some localities, for as long as 16 hours.

Imran, a resident of a village in Muzaffargarh district, said, “We cannot even sleep at night due to the loadshedding being observed by Mepco these days.” He added, “We are experiencing 12 to 16 hours of loadshedding almost daily,” and said the local Mepco office had offered no explanation.

Tahir, from Kabirwala in Khanewal district, said electricity cuts in his area were lasting between six and eight hours. “This has started all of a sudden, as the situation was not bad five to six days ago,” he said.

In Faisalabad, Rehan said urban areas were seeing around four hours of outages each day. “We are experiencing loadshedding for four hours daily these days in our urban area,” he said, adding, “But the situation in rural areas is not good in terms of uninterrupted power supply.”

Aziz, a resident of Lahore, also complained of three to four hours of power cuts, while Anwar from a rural area of Kasur said his locality had been facing outages of five to eight hours over recent days. “No one from the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) is telling us the actual situation,” he said. Similar complaints were also reported from areas served by the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).

Lesco cites maintenance and anti-theft policy

A Lesco spokesperson rejected the impression that Lahore was facing significant loadshedding, saying there was almost no shortfall in the provincial capital.

The spokesperson said, “Till 2:30pm, our total demand was 2,104 megawatt while allocation was 2,150MW. Our draw was 2,009MW, which means we only have a shortfall of just 95MW.”

She said the areas from where outages were being reported had undergone scheduled shutdowns for repair or maintenance work. She further said power cuts were also being enforced in areas falling under high-loss feeders, where electricity theft is often reported.

“In these areas, loadshedding is being observed under a policy matter to discourage and control power theft,” she said.

Gas curbs linked to power generation constraints

A senior Petroleum Division official said gas supply to gas-fired power plants had been reduced sharply. The official, who requested anonymity, said, “Qatar has already told us that there will be no liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for Pakistan till May 9. So while we have no LNG, how can we give gas to power plants?”

According to the official, only 90 million cubic feet per day (mmfcd) of gas from the system, or indigenous gas, was currently being supplied to the power sector. He said this would rise to 160mmfcd in Punjab in May.

The official also said there was currently no gas available for the fertiliser sector and that supply would resume in May. “Planning is underway to close down gas supplies to the compressed natural gas sector next month,” he said.

In response to a question, the official said domestic consumers were not facing gas loadshedding, with supply being maintained during cooking hours.