Inquiry committee holds NTDC responsible for power breakdown

ISLAMABAD: The inquiry report held the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) responsible for the country-wide power breakdown on January 23, ARY News reported on Friday.

As per details, the inquiry committee formed to probe the country-wide power breakdown, headed by the minister of petroleum sent the report to the federal cabinet.

The report says that the NTDC officers, power control management and shift in-charge are responsible for the country-wide blackout.

The increase in power supply from the south resulted in a blackout. To balance the production of the system, the Ghazi Bharota production was decreased which further worsened the situation, the report revealed.

A timely response could have saved the country from a major blackout. The NTDC system operator is responsible for the blackout as they don’t have proper communication.

Furthermore, the federal government should order NEPRA to improve coordination.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir suspected a foreign hand in the massive country-wide power breakdown.

The minister had said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a three-member committee to find out the reasons behind the power breakdown.

It is pertinent to mention here that many parts of the country including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Quetta plunged into darkness as a high-tension electricity supply line between Quetta and Guddu caused a major power breakdown.

A power outage hit 22 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Islamabad, Lahore, cities in Multan region, Karachi and others around 7:35 am.