Hydropower rise reduces peak-hour load shedding

The Power Division says hydropower generation rose to 6,000MW during Friday night peak hours, helping reduce load shedding to one to two hours. Officials linked the improvement to higher Tarbela water releases and said LNG shortages continue to limit supply.

ISLAMABAD: A rise in hydropower generation in mid-April helped reduce electricity outages during peak hours, though load shedding has not ended across the country, according to the Power Division.

In a statement issued on Saturday, a spokesperson for the division said hydropower generation reached 6,000 megawatts during peak hours on Friday night. The increase allowed authorities to keep load management limited despite a rise in electricity demand.

The spokesperson said higher nighttime water releases from Tarbela Dam played a key role in lifting hydel generation. He added that the country’s total installed hydropower capacity is around 11,500 megawatts and said the improvement in output also supported the stability of the national grid.

According to the spokesperson, around 500 megawatts of electricity from the southern region was transmitted to the central grid. This included an additional 100 megawatts made possible through improved hydropower generation.

He said that despite increased demand, power distribution companies kept load management within one to two hours during peak periods. Outages did not go beyond two hours because of the increase in hydropower generation, he added.

Load management and generation constraints

The spokesperson said economic load management on high-loss feeders was continuing in line with policy and was separate from peak-hour load management.

He also said power plants with a combined capacity of 5,500 megawatts that run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) were currently not producing electricity because of global supply constraints.

According to the Power Division, improved LNG availability, along with further increases in water releases, would help remove the electricity shortfall during nighttime hours.

The statement indicated that the recent increase in hydel output provided some relief to the power system at a time of higher demand, but the broader supply situation remains linked to fuel availability and water releases.

The latest figures shared by the Power Division show that while hydropower has helped narrow the gap during high-demand periods, the country’s electricity system is still facing constraints due to the unavailability of LNG-based generation.

Officials said that if water releases continue to rise and LNG supplies improve, the nighttime shortfall could be eliminated.