Load management ends as LNG supply stabilizes system: Leghari

Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Friday announced the end of load management across the country following the arrival of LNG cargo.

In a video message, the minister said that the arrival of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has significantly improved power generation, enabling the government to eliminate load shedding.

He recalled that around two weeks ago, consumers had faced load shedding due to a shortage of gas supply. On April 13 and 14, up to five hours of load shedding had to be carried out. However, there was no load management from April 17 to 19, while from April 19 to 29, load shedding was reduced to two to two-and-a-half hours.

The minister said the government had already clarified in a press conference that the power outages were not caused by any system failure or lack of generation capacity, but were the result of fuel constraints.

He said the gas shortage was caused by disruptions in LNG supplies amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict, noting that expensive alternative fuels such as diesel and furnace oil could have been used to eliminate load shedding, but this would have placed an additional financial burden on consumers.

The minister said additional gas supplies, which were purchased on spot rates, have arrived. Moreover, hydropower generation in the country has improved, rising from around 1,000 MW to nearly 6,000 MW, he said.

He expressed the hope that transmission lines would remain secure from any faults or disruptions, ensuring uninterrupted power supply.

Leghari said country’s installed generation capacity stands at 32,000 MW and claims of higher figures circulating in public were inaccurate, adding that capacity varies during different periods of the year.

He said that the government had to run furnace oil-based plants to overcome the shortfall, but efforts would continue to protect consumers from expensive electricity. “With timely measures, we are hopeful that the public will not face load shedding in the coming days,” he added.