ISLAMABAD, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has announced planned power outages of about 2.5 hours during peak evening hours to prevent a sharp increase in electricity tariffs, the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Power Division said the outages will be implemented between 5:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., when demand rises and hydropower generation declines, forcing reliance on costly fuel sources.
The move is part of the government's strategy to contain electricity prices amid rising global fuel costs, it said.
The government said the power system remains stable and capable of meeting demand, but warned that peak-hour consumption poses a key challenge.
To offset costs, 80 million cubic feet per day of local gas has been supplied to power plants, helping avoid an increase of about 80 paisa per unit and reducing the need for further load management.
Authorities said the limited outages could prevent a tariff increase of around 3 rupees per unit. Even with partial use of furnace oil, the increase may be contained to about 1.5 rupees per unit, compared to a potential rise of up to 6 rupees without intervention.
Distribution companies have been directed to provide advance, feeder-wise outage schedules, with no unscheduled power cuts allowed, the statement said.
The government said the measure is not conventional load shedding but a targeted step to stabilize electricity prices during peak demand hours. ■