LNG Arrival Ends Load Shedding: Leghari Announces Power System Stabilization

Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari announced on Friday the end of load management across the country following the arrival of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo. In a video message, Leghari said improved LNG availability has significantly boosted electricity generation, enabling authorities to eliminate load shedding.

Recent outages were driven by fuel constraints rather than any shortfall in generation capacity or system failure. He recalled that consumers faced up to five hours of load shedding on April 13 and 14 amid gas shortages. The situation improved thereafter, with no load management between April 17 and 19, and reduced outages of two to two-and-a-half hours from April 19 to 29.

He attributed the gas shortage to disruptions in LNG supplies linked to the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Additional LNG cargoes procured at spot rates have now arrived, while hydropower generation has also increased sharply from around 1,000MW to nearly 6,000MW, further easing pressure on the system.

Leghari put the country’s installed generation capacity at around 32,000MW, cautioning that higher figures circulating publicly are inaccurate as capacity fluctuates seasonally. While furnace oil-based plants were briefly used to manage the shortfall, he said the government remains committed to minimising reliance on costly generation sources.

Expressing confidence in system stability, Leghari said authorities expect uninterrupted electricity supply going forward, provided transmission lines remain secure from faults. “With timely measures, we are hopeful that the public will not face load shedding in the coming days,” he added.