ISLAMABAD: Despite official assertions of improving electricity supply, a significant gap between demand and generation persisted during peak hours on April 28, raising concerns about continued outages across the country.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Energy (Power Division), electricity generation during night peak hours stood at around 6,000 megawatts, while demand reached 11,500MW — indicating a shortfall of roughly 5,500MW.
— MOE- Power Division, Government of Pakistan (@MoWP15) April 29, 2026
While the power division maintained that system conditions “improved” later in the night, it acknowledged that the grid remained under pressure between 9pm and 1am — the hours when most households rely on electricity.
The statement said additional electricity was gradually added to the system, including over 100MW for general consumption and around 500MW transmitted to southern regions. However, it did not clarify how these incremental additions substantially bridged the large demand-supply gap.
Officials also said that no load-shedding was carried out after 8pm due to improved weather conditions. At the same time, they confirmed that unscheduled outages continued in high-loss feeders — a term commonly used for areas where distribution losses and bill recovery issues are high.
Energy experts say such outages are often described as “economic load-shedding”, distinguishing them from system-wide or “technical” load-shedding. For consumers, however, the distinction offers little relief, as both translate into prolonged power cuts.
The power division further claimed that up to 5,000MW of load-shedding had been “avoided” due to better system management. However, the figures cited in the statement itself suggest that a substantial shortfall remained during peak hours.
The spokesperson expressed optimism that load-shedding during night peak hours would soon be eliminated as demand and supply move towards balance. Yet, with demand nearly double the available generation during critical hours, the timeline for such relief remains uncertain.
For many consumers, particularly in urban centres and high-loss areas, outages during late evening hours — when temperatures remain high — continue to disrupt daily life, underscoring the gap between official claims and ground realities.
