Govt plans power outages at commercial, tubewell feeders: sources

LAHORE: Federal government has decided to suspend power to commercial feeders in the country after 7:00 pm for three hours to lessen electricity shortfall amid strict opposition from traders, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources within the power division, the electric supply will remain suspended at commercial feeders between 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

They further said that there would be no load-shedding on commercial feeders during the entire day. “This measure will help the government save 5,000 MW,” they claimed.

The sources further shared that the power supply to agricultural tubewells will also remain suspended from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm and it will save 3,000 MW the electricity.

They said that similar measures were adopted during the previous PPP tenure and it is the only solution to the current power crisis. “A summary in this regard will be moved in the cabinet for approval,” they said and added that prior approval will also be taken from Shehbaz Sharif in the ongoing week.

Previously, the National Economic Council (NEC) has decided to close markets across the country at 8:30pm.

The decision was taken during the NEC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting was attended by chief ministers of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was represented by its chief secretary Dr Shehzad Khan.

During the meeting, the provincial chief ministers were apprised of the proposals and decisions taken during the June 7, 2022 meeting of the federal cabinet to deal with the energy crisis in the country.

The chief ministers agreed with the federal government’s proposal to close the markets at 8.30pm. Meanwhile, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan have asked for two days to implement the decision as they wish to consult the traders’ association in their provinces.