Pakistan plans 2-hour daily power cuts as Iran war drives up energy costs

Pakistan will enforce planned evening power cuts of around two hours as it grapples with rising energy costs amid disruptions linked to the Iran war.In a statement on Wednesday, the government said electricity demand surges between 5.00 pm and 1.00 am (local time), while reduced hydropower output has widened supply gaps, as cited by Bloomberg. These shortfalls are increasingly being met through costlier fossil fuels, as regional energy flows remain strained, deepening the crisis in the cash-strapped country.The government said managing demand during peak evening hours would help prevent a sharp rise in electricity prices for households. It has directed distribution companies to notify consumers in advance of any scheduled outages and ensure that unplanned power cuts are avoided.Frequent power outages have already been reported across urban and rural areas of Pakistan's Punjab.The situation is particularly acute in rural areas, especially those under the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), where outages have become more frequent, ranging from hourly interruptions to as much as 16 hours a day in some localities, as cited by Dawn.Residents in districts such as Muzaffargarh and Khanewal have reported prolonged and unscheduled power cuts, saying the situation has deteriorated in recent days without any clear explanation from authorities.Urban centres, while relatively less affected, are also facing disruptions. In cities such as Faisalabad and Lahore, outages of three to four hours a day have been reported, even as adjoining rural areas continue to face prolonged power cuts.A senior official from Pakistan’s Petroleum Division said the power crisis has been aggravated by a sharp drop in gas supply to power plants, as cited by ANI. The official added that liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Qatar have been suspended until May 9, leaving limited fuel available for gas-fired generation. At present, only about 90 million cubic feet per day of indigenous gas is being supplied to the power sector, though this is expected to increase to 160 million cubic feet per day in Punjab in May.Gas supply to the fertiliser sector also remains halted and is likely to resume next month, the official said.