Pakistan Faces Power Shortfall Despite Increase in Hydropower Generation
Pakistan continued to experience an electricity shortfall during peak hours on April 23, even as hydropower generation showed improvement, according to the Power Division of Pakistan.
Officials reported that electricity demand increased nationwide, while hydropower output reached approximately 5,800 megawatts during peak hours. The rise in generation was supported by higher water releases from Tarbela Dam.
Despite this improvement, the country’s total hydropower capacity of around 11,500 megawatts remains underutilized, indicating a significant gap between potential and actual production.
The increased hydropower supply also helped stabilize the national grid, enabling an additional 500 megawatts of electricity to be transmitted from the southern region to the central system—slightly higher than the previous day.
However, distribution companies still implemented load management of up to two hours during peak nighttime demand. Authorities clarified that routine economic load management on high-loss feeders continues under existing policy and is separate from peak-hour adjustments.
Officials further noted that around 5,500 megawatts of generation capacity remains idle due to limited availability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) amid global supply challenges.
The Power Division stated that improved LNG supplies, along with further increases in water releases, could help reduce or eliminate the power shortfall in the coming days.
