Power deficit rises to 4,760MW

ISLAMABAD: The daily power outage have surged to 16 hours in rural parts of the country, which has multiplied the hardships faced by the masses as including acute water shortage.

According to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) here on Saturday, the country is generating 13,240 megawatt of electricity, while the current demand is 18,000 megawatt, so the country is facing a power deficit of 4,760 megawatt.

The reason behind the current shortfall is the reduction in the production of electricity the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) due to the shortage of oil and gas supply.

As the electricity demand goes up in Lahore, an increase has also occurred in the unscheduled load shedding. The city is facing outages of 10 to 12 hours a day.

The scheduled outages in Karachi is 10 hours, but the power has been suspended for 14 hours a day in the city. The city dwellers are also facing an acute water shortage due to the absence of electricity.

Meanwhile, the power outage duration has reached 16 hours a day in the Faisalabad region.

Copyright PPI (Pakistan Press International), 2011