LAHORE: In the latest blow to the country’s stretched power sector, a major power breakdown hit large swathes of Punjab and Khyber Pkhtunkhwa provinces on Wednesday, leaving people without electricity in scorching heat, ARY News reported.
According to details, the breakdown occurred owing to tripping of Muzaffargarh-Guddu main transmission line.
A spokesperson for the power division said a technical fault in the transmission line forced the breakdown and work to remove the fault and restore supply of electricity at the earliest has been underway.
He said power generation had dropped to 11,800 MW but has now reached 12,000 MW.
He said Multan 220KV grid has been restored and gradual restoration of individual 132KV grids and 11KV feeders is in progress.
Minister for Power Awais Leghari said that electricity is being restored after certain power plants tripped in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking in the National Assembly today(Wednesday), the minister said the situation has been normalized in the federal capital. However, it will take two to three hours to fully restore the power system.
He said an inquiry will also be conducted to ascertain the cause of the blackout.
Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Jhang, Attock and other parts of Punjab were hit hard by the power breakdown in the sweltering summer.
Whereas, Peshawar, Swat, Kohat, Bannu, DI Khan and Lakki Marwat were among the areas of Khyber Pkhtunkhwa that suffered from the blackout.
Moreover, the federal capital Islamabad was also left without electricity as the Supreme Court, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and other government offices had to go about their business without power.
