LAHORE, Jan 6: Power load-shedding will be reduced to three hours every day by Monday evening with power outages lasting half an hour every four hours, says caretaker minister for water and power Tariq Hameed.

“Oil supply to Kapco has been restored and thermal power plants in Lahore and Faisalabad will be functional by Monday morning and by the evening the situation will considerably normalise,” Mr Hameed told media personnel after briefing caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Somroo about the power crisis on Sunday.

“Kapco generates 1,450 megawatts of electricity while thermal plants near Lahore and at Faisalabad produce 150MW and 100MW, respectively. Wapda officials are working on the Balochistan towers (that were blown up a few days ago). By Jan 12, some 300MW power could be restored,” said Mr Hameed.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had decided to increase releases from water reservoirs for power generation from Jan 25 that would also improve the situation.

“Twelve hydroelectric projects with 1,700MW capacity are on the drawing board. The next government will decide their fates,” said Mr Hameed, who was the chairman of the Water and Power Authority (Wapda) during the last government.