Lahore and surrounding districts have been experiencing prolonged power outages, with electricity cuts lasting six to eight hours in urban areas and eight to 16 hours in rural areas over the past week, amid a significant shortfall in power supply to the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco).
Consumers across the region have faced frequent interruptions, including in areas that are not classified as high-loss or low-revenue feeders, where electricity theft and poor bill recovery are more prevalent.
The disruptions have also affected Kasur, Okara, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura, all of which fall within Lesco’s service area.
Power outages have reportedly become more frequent during the evening and night, when demand for grid electricity rises as rooftop solar systems stop generating power.
During daylight hours, solar generation helps reduce pressure on the electricity network and narrows the gap between supply and demand.
A Lesco officer, while talking to private news media, acknowledged that forced load-shedding had become common because the company was not receiving enough electricity to meet demand, making uninterrupted supply difficult to maintain.
The officer suggested that the shortfall could partly be linked to the non-operation of a couple of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG)-fired power plants.
Their operation had reportedly been affected by limited gas supplies following delays in the arrival of RLNG vessels from Qatar amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The officer said the situation was unlikely to improve until weather conditions changed, adding that rainfall was the only solution to reducing the outages.
The prolonged interruptions have raised concerns about the reliability of electricity supply across Lahore and neighbouring districts, particularly as consumers continue to face extended periods without power.
