Massive power outage across Pakistan; Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore among affected

A major power breakdown hit Pakistan leaving major cities without electricity due to a fault in transmission lines. Pakistan this month announced a new energy conservation plan as its fragile economy continues to struggle with multiple challenges including the country's foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to alarmingly low levels.

Team Newsable

First Published Jan 23, 2023, 12:25 PM IST | Last Updated Jan 23, 2023, 12:25 PM IST

A massive power outage was reported in Pakistan due to a grid failure on Monday morning. Authorities said work is underway to restore the system. Pakistan had widespread power outages early on Monday as a result of a serious failure in its national grid, according to the federal energy ministry.

In a tweet, the Pakistani Ministry of Energy said that the widespread failure of the power system was caused by a reduction in frequency of the national grid, which caused the power outage. "According to initial information, at about 7:34 AM (local time) today, the National Grid experienced a loss of frequency, that caused a major breakdown. A swift work is on to revive the system," the ministry said in a statement.

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According to Geo TV, many power distribution firms had already verified the power outage prior to the ministry's declaration.

The two transmission lines from Guddu to Quetta tripped, according to Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO). In addition, Quetta and 22 other Balochistan districts lack electricity. All major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar, were without power.

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In Islamabad, as many as 117 grid stations are without electricity. Peshawar has also been hit by a power outage.

A similar blackout occurred in 2021 due to a "technical malfunction" at a power plant in Sindh province in southern Pakistan. This blackout was brought on by a rapid reduction in the frequency of the power transmission system from 50 to 0 in less than a second. It produced a domino effect that ultimately brought down the entire electrical infrastructure. A day later, the electricity was turned back on.

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