Pakistan Announces Power Cuts to Curb Energy Costs

Pakistan will implement scheduled evening electricity suspensions of about two hours as part of efforts to manage rising energy costs linked to global fuel pressures, authorities said on Tuesday.

According to the energy ministry, most parts of the country will experience rolling power cuts lasting roughly two to two-and-a-quarter hours between 5:00 pm and 1:00 am daily, when demand is at its highest.

Officials explained that the measure is necessary because peak-hour consumption relies heavily on expensive furnace-oil-based generation, which is used to offset reduced hydropower output.

The Pakistani energy ministry said the power cuts were aimed at reducing the use of costly fuels and preventing a sharp rise in tariffs.

It added that the outages will not occur simultaneously nationwide but will be rotated across regions to distribute the impact.

The country’s largest city, Karachi, which has a population of over 20 million, is exempt from the cuts, along with Hyderabad, due to “the availability of low-cost power generation in the southern region,” the ministry said.

Pakistan’s energy constraints have been worsened by global market disruptions following the Iran war, which has affected oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping routes.

About one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies normally pass through the corridor, much of it destined for Asia, making Pakistan particularly vulnerable to price volatility.

While Islamabad has managed to secure some fuel shipments during the crisis, import costs have risen sharply due to increased global energy prices.