Pakistan power shortfall escalates to 2600 MW

• 14 years ago (2010-07-27)
• David Flin

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After a brief respite following rainy weather reducing power demand, Pakistan is once again in the grip of a major shortfall of power supply compared to demand, the shortfall now standing at over 2600 MW.

An official government statement said that recently, power demand and supply had briefly become equal, but with the return of hot and humid weather, energy demand has risen. Currently, demand is peaking at 16,329 MW, against a peak generating capacity of 13,727 MW.

A government official, who did not wish to be named, said that power generating capacity is showing no signs of significant increase, and the extent of power shortfall is dependent on the level of demand. He said that although it has been claimed that 1700 MW has been added to the system over the last 2-3 years, power generation data has shown capacity to have remained static at around 13,000-14,000 MW over this period. The official explained that while new power has been added, this has been offset by the decline in efficiencies of the established power plants.