Federal Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir confirmed on Thursday that a large part of the national grid has been affected and ongoing efforts to restore power to the southern parts of the country will be completed by 8pm tonight.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Dastgir confirmed that many areas across the country, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Quetta, Multan and Faisalabad, have been suffering from major power breakdowns since morning.
As a result of the breakdown, there was a ripple effect that knocked out many power plants and grid stations across the country.
The affected power distribution companies and adjoining areas are MEPCO – serving Multan and adjoining areas, and K-Electric – affecting Karachi Division and its surrounding areas.
The breakdown disrupted power supply in parts of southern Punjab including Karachi and Multan, Muzaffargarh. Most areas of Balochistan are also affected.
The minister said that the problem has been partially resolved in Multan and Faisalabad and in Sukkur, Dadu and Shikarpur.
He said that Karachi and Quetta are priority areas now.
He asserted that around 8,000 MW power went offline around 9 am but the government has restored around 4,700 MW power.
“It will take time to restart the power plants so the full resolution of the problem will take a few more hours.”
He expressed concern as to how two power lines were simultaneously damaged, adding that an in-depth inquiry has been ordered and a team has been constituted for the purpose.
The minister said that we will take action after receiving the inquiry report. “Due to our efforts, the northern part of the country remained unaffected by the breakdown.”
