The federal government offered a public apology on Wednesday for higher-than-expected loadshedding. This frustrated millions of power consumers across the country. Officials pointed directly to lower water releases from major dams. This cut hydropower generation and widened the demand-supply gap overnight.
Power Division officials explained the sudden shortfall and urged families to save electricity, especially during nighttime hours. They called on everyone to switch off unnecessary lights and appliances. They also urged people to adopt simple energy-saving habits right away.
Hydropower Shortfall Forces Temporary Increase in Outages
A sharp decline hit hydropower plants last night. It slashed output by nearly 2,000 megawatts. The Power Division reported a total shortfall of around 4,500 megawatts. This happened when peak demand reached 18,000 megawatts. Moreover, water discharge from reservoirs stayed lower than last year. This happened because recent rains and the ongoing harvesting season reduced the need for irrigation releases.
As a result, distribution companies implemented slightly more loadshedding than the 2.25 hours they promised only a day earlier. Complaints poured in from many cities and towns. This happened after Tuesday’s outages stretched longer than planned. However, officials stressed that daytime supply stayed stable. The extra cuts remained limited to nighttime hours.
Some companies, including IESCO, still announced three hours of morning loadshedding in certain areas. The Power Division spokesman expressed hope that the situation would ease soon. He noted that increased water releases from dams and better availability of regasified liquefied natural gas would boost generation in the coming days.
For now, the government asks consumers to stay patient and cooperate fully. Officials promise to keep a close watch on the situation. They will restore normal supply as quickly as possible once water levels improve.
