Awais Leghari says month-long loadshedding has ended after LNG cargo arrival

ISLAMABAD: Federal Power Minister Awais Leghari said on Friday that the month-long spell of loadshedding had come to an end after a liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment reached Pakistan a day earlier.

In a recorded televised message, the minister said the recent electricity outages were caused by a shortage of gas linked to the war between the United States and Iran. He said the disruptions were not the result of incompetence or a failure of the power system.

Leghari said that on April 13 and 14, consumers experienced outages of up to five hours. He added that on April 15 and 16, the duration increased to around seven hours.

According to the minister, the situation improved in the following days and outages were brought down to zero. He said that until April 29, the duration of loadshedding had been reduced to between two and two-and-a-half hours.

Leghari also referred to a press conference held by the ministry to explain the government’s position on the issue.

He said loadshedding had not been seen for six to seven years and added that it had been eliminated during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif.

"Loadshedding had not been experienced for six to seven years, having been eliminated during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif", he stated.

The minister said using diesel or furnace oil to generate electricity would have made power significantly more expensive for consumers, and the government had therefore avoided that option.

Minister links outages to gas shortage

Leghari maintained that the power cuts stemmed from a fuel supply problem rather than operational shortcomings in the electricity network. He attributed the gas shortage to the impact of the US-Iran war.

His statement came a day after the arrival of the LNG cargo that he said had helped resolve the immediate supply issue behind the outages.

The minister’s remarks set out a timeline of the recent power cuts, beginning with outages of up to five hours on April 13 and 14, followed by around seven hours on April 15 and 16, before the duration was reduced in subsequent days.

Government position outlined

Leghari said the ministry had already publicly clarified its stance through a press conference. In his message, he reiterated that the recent loadshedding episode should not be seen as a consequence of mismanagement or system collapse.

He also stressed that the government had chosen not to rely on diesel or furnace oil-based generation because of the higher cost it would impose on electricity users.

With the LNG shipment now in the country, the minister declared that the month-long period of loadshedding had ended.