Pakistan power shortfall reaches 2000MW

• 14 years ago (2010-03-15)
• David Flin

North America 996

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Electricity shortfall in Pakistan has reached the 2000MW mark. Load shedding in urban areas of the country has been extended to 5 hours a day, and to 8 hours a day in rural areas. Currently, the generation capacity of the country is 10,431MW, while peak consumption has been 12,193MW.

The shortfall has been caused by low water level in dams. Meanwhile, the country has witnessed hot, dry weather in most areas. The maximum temperature that has been recorded has been 41°C at Nawabshah, and the reserves of usable water at Tarbela dam has fallen to 21,000 acre-feet, while that at Mangla dam has fallen to just 4000 acre-feet. Tarbela Dam was running at 16 inches above dead level of 1378 feet.

Weather forecasts predict that dry weather will continue for a while in most parts of the country, and the temperature is expected to rise in the plains in the coming days.