Power outage worsens in Punjab as temperatures rise
May 31, 2018
LAHORE: Numerous cities across Punjab experienced widespread load-shedding Wednesday night, forcing many to eat sehri in the dark just as rising temperatures made the heat insufferable.
The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), in response to the unannounced load-shedding, said the power generated in its plants was enough to meet the demand but the transmission lines were unable to support the higher load.
The company added that they had turned off electrical feeders in order to save the system from shutting down due to the bumped-up demand.
Instances of tripping in the systems would reduce as soon as the weather turns better, LESCO officials shared.
Earlier this month, the province was hit by an extended power outage due to a technical glitch at Tarbela power plant which plunged Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and other cities in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into darkness and caused tripping of Chashma power plants.
The power outages made the heat difficult to bear for Lahore residents, as the provincial capital like other plains of the country was struck by a heatwave over the weekend, with the mercury reaching 43°C.
Unscheduled load-shedding also continued to persist in Karachi, which saw the hottest day of the year on Wednesday as the mercury soared to 45°C.
The power outages forced disgruntled residents out in the streets in protest as large swathes of C-1 area, Gulshan –e Iqbal block 9 and 13 and other localities were deprived of electricity.
