ISLAMABAD:
A significant increase in dam flows in mid-April boosted hydroelectric power generation, cutting, but not ending, load shedding across the country.
The Energy Division said Saturday that hydroelectric generation increased to 6,000 megawatts during peak hours Friday night, allowing authorities to limit load management despite the increase in electricity demand.
According to a spokesperson, increased water releases from the Tarbela Dam overnight contributed to the increased hydel production. He said the total installed hydropower capacity was around 11,500 megawatts, adding that the upgraded generation also improved the stability of the national grid.
The spokesperson added that around 500 megawatts of electricity from the southern region was transmitted to the central grid, including an additional 100 megawatts facilitated by the upgrade of Hydel production.
Despite the increased demand, energy distribution companies maintained load management at one or two hours during peak hours, with outages that did not exceed two hours due to the increase in hydroelectric generation.
He clarified that economic load management on high loss feeders was being carried out as per policy and had no relation to peak hour load management.
The spokesperson added that power plants with a total capacity of 5,500 megawatts, which run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), are currently not generating electricity due to global supply constraints.
He said the availability of LNG, coupled with further increases in water emissions, would help eliminate the power deficit during nighttime hours.
