ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Energy Minister Awais Leghari Friday announced the end of loadshedding across the country following the arrival of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargoes.
In a video message posted on his X account, Leghari recalled that around two weeks ago, consumers had faced loadshedding due to a shortage of gas supply.
He said on April 13 and 14, there had to be a loadshedding up to five hours. However, he said, there was no load management from April 17 to 19. He further said that from April 19 to 29, loadshedding was reduced to two to two-and-a-half hours.
He told the nation that the recent electricity shortfall and scheduled loadshedding in early April were not due to any technical failure or inability to generate power, but because of temporary fuel supply constraints.
Disruptions in LNG supplies caused loadshedding
Leghari said the gas shortage was caused by disruptions in LNG supplies amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
He said expensive alternative fuels such as diesel and furnace oil could have been used to curtail loadshedding, and added this would have placed an additional financial burden on consumers.
The minister said additional gas supplies, which were purchased on spot rates, had arrived adding that hydropower generation had increased significantly, rising from around 1,000 megawatts to 6,000MWs, helping improve supply levels.
The minister said that LNG cargoes have reached Pakistan, which improved fuel availability for power plants adding that loadshedding has now ended.
