ISLAMABAD: Power Division on Friday said that electricity transmission and generation systems have been restored across Pakistan, including restoration of full supply from national grid to Karachi.
This announcement was made by the Power Division, after 27 hours of blackout in Sindh including Karachi, Balochistan and southern parts of Punjab after 8000-MW of electricity was out of the system due to faults in two transmission lines which evacuate power from two nuclear power plants in Karachi, Kanupp 1 and 2.
According to available information power Distribution Companies (Discos) began 8-12 hours forced load shedding across the country whereas most of the areas falling under the jurisdiction of HESCO, SEPCO, QESCO, and parts of MEPCO and KE were also deprived of power.
However, Power Division claims that its hard work and National Power Control Centre (NPCC)/ NTDC made prompt restoration of supply possible. Power Division has also claimed that now only routine load-shedding is in place. On ground situation appears to be contrary to Power Division’s claim of complete restoration of supply. Forced shedding in commercial and residential areas has been continuing.
National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), which always calls the bluff in such case, has either not yet taken any notice of this blackout or is waiting for an inquiry report, which is being conducted by a team of NTDC and NPCC.
On Thursday, Minister for Power, Khurram Dastgir Khan, who is on the hit list of Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Power, stated that faults surfaced simultaneously in two lines in south of Karachi, i.e., NK-1 which evacuates electricity Kanupp 1 and 2 plants and the other line, i.e., Jamshoro of K-2 and K-3 which was a surprise that is why an inquiry is being conducted.
Power ‘fully restored’ across Pakistan after massive outage: energy ministry
However, KE spokesperson revealed in a social media group that two conductors in national transmission system outside Karachi were broken but that investigation is under way to determine the reason of incident, adding that the cascade effect of broken conductors began to trip power plants in national transmission, while KE system went to island mode for safety of the network; and reportedly frequency also tumbled.
Initially, Power Division said in a tweet: “due to an accidental fault in the country’s southern transmission system, several southern power plants are tripping in phases, which is disrupting the transmission of electricity in southern parts of the country. Ministry of Energy is diligently investigating the cause of the fault and electricity system will be fully restored as soon as possible”.
On Thursday, when Chairman Senate Standing on Power, Saifullah Abro inquired Secretary Power Division, Rashid Mahmood Langrial for reaching late to the meeting, he replied that he was accompanying the Minister for Power to monitor post-blackout electricity supply restoration efforts at the NPCC.
Chairman Standing Committee, who is PTI Member Senate, remarked sarcastically: “you are taking about power blackout, I say the entire country is about to be blacked-out”.
He severely criticised the entire power system hierarchy for failing to bring an improvement in distribution and transmission systems.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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