K-P faces extended power cuts as demand outstrips supply: PESCO

The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) on Thursday said parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) were facing additional electricity outages due to a significant supply-demand gap, with three to four hours of load management being imposed beyond the schedule. According to a spokesperson, “Forced load management is being implemented in the PESCO region due to a generation shortfall.” He added that the measure aimed to protect consumers from higher electricity bills linked to costly fuel-based power generation. He further said that recent global developments and rising crude oil prices had contributed to higher generation costs. He added that the gap between demand and supply had widened, with electricity demand currently at 2,000 megawatts and supply at 1,351 megawatts. “Due to the generation shortfall, electricity demand has increased while supply has decreased,” he said, adding that the mismatch had resulted in an additional three to four hours of load shedding beyond scheduled outages. He said efforts were being made to minimise disruption for consumers. Read More: Massive outages as deficit hits 6,500MW “PESCO is trying to ensure minimum load management so that consumers face as little inconvenience as possible,” the spokesperson said, adding that forced load management would end once the generation shortfall was resolved. Consumers were advised to lodge complaints regarding electricity supply through helpline 118, the spokesperson added. On Tuesday, the Power Division announced that due to rising electricity demand during peak hours, electricity will be suspended for around 2.25 hours daily between 5pm and 1am countrywide under its "peak relief strategy". The Power Division had further directed distribution companies to ensure transparency in power outages by issuing feeder-wise shutdown schedules to consumers at all levels. It added that no unscheduled power outages would be permitted, and in case of local faults, relevant offices must immediately inform consumers about disruptions. However, across both urban and rural areas, consumers report outages far exceeding the limited "load management" described by authorities. In remote districts, electricity cuts stretching up to 12 hours - and in some cases as high as 16 hours - have effectively brought routine life to a halt. However, K-Electric and the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) will be excluded from the load shedding plan due to their lower dependence on furnace oil.