Winter Load-Shedding Begins

Lahore is facing up to four hours of unannounced load-shedding every evening after technical faults in the Tarbela and Mangla hydropower systems knocked two Tarbela generating units offline.

Key points

• The shortfall in the Lahore Electric Supply Firm (LESCO) network has reached 800 megawatts (MW).
• Reports have linked the disruption to an incident at the construction site of the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T-5) on Monday.
• Power generation at Tarbela Dam has reportedly dropped to 656 MW, with the two units out of operation.
• The fresh outages come weeks after Pakistan's nationwide power shortfall crossed 4, 000 MW.
• The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) has directed all power distribution firms to immediately announce their load-shedding schedules so consumers know when to expect outages.

In practice, the faults have cut electricity availability and widened the power shortfall in Lahore, other parts of Punjab and a number of regions nationwide. Pakistan Is Underreporting Its Solar Power Generation. LESCO Shortfall Hits 800MW.

Notably, the shortfall in the Lahore Electric Supply Firm (LESCO) network has reached 800 megawatts (MW). This is behind the evening power cuts of up to four hours in the city.

Power generation at Tarbela Dam has reportedly dropped to 656 MW, with the two units out of operation. What Happened at Tarbela.

Notably, a subdued section of rock fell during excavation, and water entered a tunnel and the powerhouse. According to WAPDA, all workers were safely evacuated.

For context, the T-5 project has faced setbacks before. Its cost jumped 285% after a cofferdam collapse. Ministry Orders Load-Shedding Schedules.

In practice, the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) has directed all power distribution firms to immediately announce their load-shedding schedules so consumers know when to expect outages.

LESCO and other firms had not issued a formal schedule at the time of reporting.

No timeline has been confirmed for bringing the affected Tarbela units back online.

Meanwhile, the fresh outages come weeks after Pakistan's nationwide power shortfall crossed 4, 000 MW. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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In short, winter Load is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.