Despite official claims of surplus electricity in the national grid, residents in several areas of Punjab, including Lahore and Khanpur, continue to suffer from unannounced load shedding, triggering water shortages and public frustration.

A spokesperson for the Power Division on Monday said that there is currently no load shedding anywhere in the country, adding that electricity generation is exceeding national demand. “At present, the country’s power demand is 21,500 megawatts, while all DISCOs are receiving power as per their allocated quota,” the spokesperson stated.

The official further attributed the reduced electricity demand in some regions to the growing adoption of solar net metering, which has created a gap between actual consumption and grid demand.

However, the situation on the ground tells a different story.

Load shedding in Lahore

In Lahore, residents reported four to five hours of unannounced load shedding in various areas, especially amid rising temperatures. The outages have also led to water shortages in some localities.

LESCO officials, when approached, denied carrying out scheduled load shedding. “There is surplus electricity in the system,” they said. “Power disruptions are occurring due to transformer tripping and technical faults, not due to load management.”

Power shutdowns in Khanpur

In Khanpur, MEPCO has been implementing a five-hour daily power shutdown from 6:30am to 11:30am. According to WAPDA officials, the shutdown is being carried out on the recommendation of the Regional Rehabilitation Engineer (RRE) due to ongoing technical work. A formal notification of the shutdown has also been issued.

Despite these scheduled outages, residents in Khanpur report facing an additional 2–3 hours of unannounced load shedding, further straining household and commercial activity.