Pakistan’s power sector remains under pressure, with distribution companies enforcing load management for up to two and a half hours as demand rises.
Officials say lower hydropower output and the unavailability of LNG are limiting supply, even as dam releases helped boost generation during peak hours. According to officials, Discos have implemented load management for two to two and a half hours because of increasing demand.
The division said economic load management will continue on feeders with high losses in line with the existing policy. At the same time, officials stressed that this is separate from peak-time load management.
According to the Power Division spokesperson, 4,950MW of electricity was generated last night through the release of water from dams during peak hours.
Officials said the country’s total hydropower generation capacity stands at 11,500MW. However, hydropower is still producing about 6,000MW less than its full capacity, mainly because provinces are demanding less water.
That lower provincial demand for water has directly affected hydel generation, leaving a sizable gap between available capacity and actual production.
LNG shortage keeps 5,500MW plants offline
The Power Division also said that electricity is not being generated from 5,500MW power plants due to the unavailability of LNG.
Officials explained that the LNG shortage is one of the major reasons supply remains tight. They added that peak-time load management may also end once LNG becomes available, suggesting that fuel availability remains a key factor in easing outages.
The spokesperson clarified that economic load management has nothing to do with peak-time load management. This distinction was made to explain that different reasons are behind different categories of power cuts.
The division also called on consumers to adopt electricity-saving habits during night hours, saying conservation remains important while supply constraints continue.
LESCO reports sharp evening shortfall in Lahore
Alongside the broader national picture, LESCO shared details of the electricity situation in Lahore.
From 5pm to 12am, average electricity demand stood at 3,787MW, while supply reached a record 3,053MW. Even with that supply level, the system faced a shortfall of 682MW during those hours.
According to the LESCO spokesperson, load management of two hours each was carried out on feeders dominated by commercial and industrial consumers.
LESCO said urban areas saw one and a half hours of load management during this period.
Overnight demand remained high
For the overnight period from midnight to 5am, the spokesperson said demand was 3,510MW and supply was 2,824MW.
During those hours, the shortfall narrowed slightly to 607MW. LESCO said that as supply improves further, the load management period is expected to be reduced even more.
The latest data from the Power Division and LESCO shows that Pakistan’s electricity system is still balancing multiple pressures at once: rising demand, lower-than-capacity hydropower generation, and LNG-related supply disruptions.
