Unannounced and forced load shedding continues across Punjab, including Lahore, with residents in various areas of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) region facing repeated power outages throughout the night.
According to sources, severe load shedding begins in the LESCO region as evening sets in. Frequent power cuts, coupled with a growing number of technical faults, have further increased difficulties for electricity consumers.
Sources said reduced electricity generation due to the unavailability of LNG is one of the factors contributing to the situation. A decline in power generation, along with LESCO’s ageing distribution system, is also among the major causes of load shedding.
Repeated power outages throughout the night have disrupted residents’ sleep. In various parts of the city, forced load shedding is reportedly being carried out intermittently for 30 minutes to one hour at a time.
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In rural and border areas, reports indicate that unannounced load shedding is being carried out for one hour after every hour.
According to sources, areas served by high-loss feeders are facing load shedding of between two and six hours. Even after power supply is restored, residents continue to face problems caused by transformer jumper failures and other technical faults.
Complaints about technical faults and damaged transformers have also increased significantly in densely populated areas, leaving residents without electricity for several hours at a time.
Sources said that during the daytime, the use of solar systems keeps LESCO’s electricity demand between 3,500 and 3,700 megawatts. However, after solar systems stop generating electricity at night, demand rises to around 5,200 megawatts.
Sources attributed the continuing load shedding and interruptions in electricity supply to the sudden increase in demand at night, reduced power generation and technical problems within the distribution system.
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