Lahore braces for daily four-hour power outages

LAHORE:Despite reduction in electricity demand on the back of relatively pleasant weather, Lahore Electric Supply Company formally started subjecting consumers up to four hours a day outages. According to latest Load Management Programme, consumers of category-I and II, where up to 20 percent aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses are observed, two hours a day outages of one hour each to be observed. Consumers living in Category-III areas would face three-hour daily outages of one hour each. Similarly, Category-IV consumers will have to face four hours planned loadshedding daily.

The electricity demand has been on the decline for last several days due to the decrease in temperature. However, after temporarily stopping outages in the City, power utility decided to start planned outages.

Lesco's present electricity demand stands at 3,800-3,900MW against supply of 3,400-3,500MW. Electric utility’s latest load management programme has been based on maximum power demand of 4,026MW.

More-worryingly, exemption for industry from loadshedding have been withdrawn and independent industry feeders will now have to face two-hour of outages daily. Moreover, people complained that contrary to the schedule, loadshedding continues for up to five hours. They added that menace of unannounced outages had also continued to haunt consumers. A Lesco official however said that minimum outages were being observed and loadshedding was only being carried out on high losses feeders. There is still 0-hour outages for truly independent industry feeders while industrial dominated feeders face up to two hours load management. Whenever there is improvement in case of ample generation, power supply continues.

Consumers annoy at Sui gas outages

By Our correspondent

Lahorites have expressed annoyance over what they call loadshedding of natural gas in summer months. It is really irritating to find suspension in natural gas supply from as early as 9pm and after 9am till 12:30pm. Rashid Ali, a resident of Dev Samaj Road said that he was unable to understand why Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) resorted to cut in gas supply amid peak summer months. He demanded the authorities take steps for continuous supply of natural gas.