Power back in most parts of country following blackout: Omar Ayub

ISLAMABAD: Power supply will be completely restored across the country within next few hours, Federal Energy Minister Omar Ayub said on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Information Minister Shibli Faraz, he said a technical fault occurred at the Guddu power plant at 11:41pm last night, due to which frequency in the national grid went down from 50 to zero in a matter of seconds, plunging most parts of the country into darkness.

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Omar Ayub said the restoration process began after the Tarbela power plant was restarted, adding power supply has been restored in most parts of the country, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad and Jhang.

“Efforts are underway to determine the main cause of the breakdown,” he said and announced that the government would carry out a probe into why the fault occurred.

Also Read: Diagnosing issue behind frequency dip causing power outage, says energy minister

The minister said no attention was paid towards improvement of transmission system on modern lines in the past. Technical faults occur due to outdated system as no effort was made in the past to upgrade transmission lines, he lamented.

10,300 megawatt power was in the national grid last night and fault occurred at Guddu power plant, which rapidly tripped all power houses and grids, he expounded. Rs3,00 billion is being spent to upgrade the transmission system for smooth power supply, he disclosed.