Improved hydel generation: No load management during peak hours on 29th: PD

ISLAMABAD: Power Division (PD) said on Thursday that the country witnessed no load management during peak hours on the night of April 29 (Wednesday) due to improved hydel generation.

In a statement on Thursday, the spokesperson said that hydropower generation reached 6,000 megawatts, out of the country’s total installed hydel capacity of 11,500 megawatts. Electricity output also increased due to the provision of local gas to additional power plants, the statement said.

The country’s generation, demand and supply is reviewed at different levels i.e. from technical and policymaking, so that energy supply is ensured to the people.

According to the Power Planning and Monitoring Company (PPMC) the issue of heat wave in the next three weeks is already under consideration of the technical team as well as policymakers and available generation sources including hydel, gas and local coal are being operated at full optimized level. Hydel will be available at 5500 MW in May 2026.

The PPMC maintained that cumulative price of spot LNG and its allied cost will be USD 23 per MMBTU and its per unit cost would be around Rs 42 per unit.

“We are monitoring the entire energy system and supply it to consumers without adding any additional cost,” said an official.

Power Division spokesperson said that improved generation from hydropower and enhanced availability of local gas contributed to greater stability in the national grid, enabling the system to transmit an additional 100 megawatts to the centre, while overall power transmission from the south reached 500 megawatts.

The spokesperson clarified that economic load management was being implemented only on high-loss feeders under a specific policy and was not linked to load shedding during peak hours.

However, challenges remain as power plants with a capacity of 4,700 megawatts are currently not generating electricity due to the unavailability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the global market, the press release said.

It added that the situation was expected to improve further, and the nighttime power shortfall was expected to be eliminated once LNG supplies resumed and water releases increased.

According to sources, one cargo has docked at Pakistan GasPort Terminal, price of which was USD 18.40/MMBTU. However, its cumulative cost will be around USD 23/MMBTU which will be translated into Rs 40 per unit. The Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) of April 2026 is likely to be about Rs 1.50 per unit and with removal of Rs 1.40 per unit in May 2026, the bills will increase by about Rs 2.50 per unit.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026