Pakistan Announces 2-Hour Daily Power Cuts to Control Electricity Prices

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Islamabad: Pakistan has announced daily power cuts of about 2.25 hours during peak evening hours to prevent a sharp rise in electricity prices.

The outages will take place between 5:00pm and 1:00am, when electricity demand is highest. The government said this step will help reduce the use of expensive fuels and keep tariffs under control.

The move comes after a disruption in LNG supplies from Qatar, which declared force majeure due to attacks on its gas fields during the ongoing regional conflict. Qatar is Pakistan’s main LNG supplier.

Officials said the country can meet total electricity demand, but doing so would require costly fuel, which would significantly increase power bills. By limiting supply during peak hours, the government hopes to avoid a major price hike.

The Power Division said this measure could prevent an increase of up to Rs3 per unit, while without it, prices could have risen by Rs5 to Rs6 per unit. Even with the current plan, a smaller increase of about Rs1.5 per unit may still happen.

Authorities have instructed power companies to share clear outage schedules with consumers and avoid unplanned power cuts.

The government described the move as part of a “Peak Relief Strategy”, aimed at protecting consumers from rising costs while managing limited fuel supplies.