Massive power outage in Pakistan; parts of Islamabad, Lahore without electricity for hours

NEW DELHI,JAN 23: 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.

The Pakistan Ministry of Energy said in a tweet that the power outage was triggered by a drop in frequency of the national grid, that resulted in a widespread breakdown in the power system.

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Before the ministry’s announcement, different power distribution companies had confirmed the power breakdown, as per Geo TV.

According to Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), the two transmission lines from Guddu to Quetta tripped. It added that 22 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, are without power. A power outage was also reported in multiple areas of Lahore and Karachi as well.

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

In 2021, a “technical fault” at a power plant located in southern Pakistan’s Sindh province caused a similar blackout triggered by a sudden drop in the frequency of the power transmission system from 50 to 0 in less than a second. It had a cascading effect and eventually shut down the entire power system. The power was restored a day later.

-PTI