Power outages largely beyond control amid shortfall, says Owais Leghari

ISLAMABAD: Owais Leghari said on Thursday that ongoing power outages were largely beyond the government’s control, citing regional tensions and a shortfall in electricity generation, while apologising for load-shedding during peak hours.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said the government regretted outages during high-demand periods but stressed that several factors affecting supply were outside its control.

He said electricity generation from hydropower had dropped to 1,676 megawatts due to reduced water releases from dams, resulting in a shortfall of around 1,530 megawatts.

Leghari added that gas-based power generation could not be increased during peak hours, while disruptions in imported gas supplies had further worsened the situation.

Power generation from liquefied natural gas plants has also declined significantly, with output at around 1,671 megawatts this April compared to nearly 3,000 megawatts during the same period last year.

He said daily electricity demand ranged between 15,000 and 20,000 megawatts in the first half of April.

The minister maintained that no load-shedding was being carried out during daytime hours, but outages were being adjusted according to demand, affecting urban and rural areas as well as the industrial sector.

“Load-shedding has to be adjusted according to need,” he said.

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Leghari also criticised what he termed “unverified propaganda” on social media regarding the power situation.

He noted that electricity prices had been reduced over the past two years, contributing to increased demand.

Despite the challenges, the minister said the government remained committed to improving the power sector, adding that reforms had helped stabilise the system, though difficulties persist.