• Power Division spox blames it on reduced hydropower availability
• Consumers urged to conserve electricity as outages exceed promised duration

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday apologised to power consumers for higher-than-promised “load management” arising from lower water availability for power generation.

In a statement, the Power Division said it was “apologising for the additional load management necessitated by reduced hydropower availability”.

A spokesperson for the Power Division also urged consumers to conserve electricity, particularly during night-time hours, and to adopt energy-saving practices.

The statement followed complaints from various parts of the country about excessive loadshedding on Tuesday, instead of the 2.25 hours promised a day earlier in an effort to avoid an increase in electricity prices.

“The government has decided to suspend the electricity supply for about 2.25 hours daily between 5pm and 1am,” the Power Division said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“This step is aimed at reducing the use of costly fuels and preventing a sharp rise in tariffs,” it added.

However, K-Electric and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) were excluded from the loadshedding plan.

In the statement, the Power Division said it was capable of meeting full demand but this had negative consequences.

“The main challenge at present is during peak hours from 5pm to 1am. During this time, demand increases significantly, mainly due to reduced hydel generation. Relying on expensive fuels to meet this demand could lead to a substantial increase in electricity prices,” it said.

The power ministry reported a temporary increase in load management and attributed it to a sharp decline in hydropower generation during peak hours last night, which it said strained the electricity supply and widened the demand-supply gap.

“Hydropower production dropped by 1,991 megawatts during the night, contributing to a total shortfall of around 4,500MW at peak demand,” the spokesperson said, adding that overall electricity demand during peak hours was recorded at approximately 18,000MW.

The spokesperson continued that the reduction in hydropower generation was due to decreased water releases from the country’s dams.

Water discharge to provinces is currently being carried out by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) based on demand, which is considerably lower compared to last year. Reduced water requirements, owing to recent rainfall and the harvesting season, have led to lower outflows from reservoirs. As a result, electricity distribution companies implemented slightly higher load management than previously scheduled.

‘No shortfall during day’

However, the Power Division clarified that load management was currently limited to night-time hours, and there was no shortfall during the day.

But many distribution companies, particularly the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), have officially annou­nced three hours of loadshedding in the morning.

The Power Division spokesperson exp­res­­sed optimism that the situation would improve in the coming days, as water releases from dams were expected to inc­rease, boosting hydropower generation.

“Improved availability of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) is also expected to ease the power supply situation,” the spokesperson said, without elaborating on the sources of RLNG, given tight supplies in the spot market at unaffordable rates amid the closure of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas plants, currently under force majeure due to the Middle East war.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026