KARACHI, May 27: It was yet another day of no respite from prolonged and unannounced load-shedding for power consumers amid hot and humid weather on Tuesday as the Karachi Electric Supply Company miserably failed to meet the rising demand for power in the city. At one point, the power deficit hit 255 megawatts.

As the mercury rose to 35.2 degrees Celsius with 61 per cent humidity, various localities across the city remained without power for several hours, though the KESC management was not prepared to accept the ground reality and continuously kept on telling consumers that they were suffering because of technical faults and breakdowns till late in the evening.

They were not prepared to accept that the utility’s generation capacity was dwindling and that it was unable to generate enough electricity to meet the growing demand.

The 80-MW supply from the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (Kanupp), which tripped last Tuesday, is still unavailable. A spokesman for Kanupp said the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) had started tests for checking and verification of safety standards being observed at the nuclear power facility and it could take four to five more days for Kanupp to get back on line.

“It is the sixth time during the current year that Kanupp was abruptly shut down due to the tripping of the KESC’s transmission lines. So, at this juncture the PNRA thought it mandatory to test the safety and working of various equipment and machinery at the nuclear power generation facility in order to ensure complete observance of nuclear safety standards,” said the Kanupp spokesman.

Moreover, power supply of 80 MW from the DHA’s desalination plant has not been available to the KESC. Also, unit no 4 of the Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station has not been working since Sunday night, thus exacerbating the generation shortage.

Around 5pm, the KESC experienced a 255-MW shortage of electricity, causing recurring spells of load-shedding of minimum two-hour duration per session. Till the evening, every major residential and commercial area in the city had experienced two spells of load-shedding.

“The spells of load-shedding will continue till late in the night,” said a source privy to the power supply situation in the city.

The inhabitants of various areas have to undergo prolonged power failures at night almost on a daily basis causing them discomfort and sleeplessness.

A resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar’s Block-19 said his area was deprived of electricity at 9pm on Monday night, which was restored only after 3am, and then again a power breakdown hit the area at 7am on Tuesday morning, while the electricity supply resumed only after 10am.