Apologizing for the increase in power outages, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has announced that loadshedding would be reduced to 3.5 hours a day from today (Tuesday).
Speaking at a press conference with other federal ministers on Monday, including State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N leader said that some time was needed by the government to rectify the shortage.
He said the country was producing 21,000 megawatts while there was a shortfall of 4,000 megawatts, and listed down the reasons for the current shortage, holding the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government responsible.
"The country's electricity demand has exceeded 25,000MW during the summer," he said. As a result of the shortfall however, the authorities were forced to implement a four-hour loadshedding across the country, the ex-prime minister said.
The former prime minister explained that when the incumbent PML-N government took over, the electricity generation capacity was at 17,000MW, which has now been increased to more than 21,000MW over the past three weeks.
Abbasi explained that when coal has been imported in the next stage, loadshedding will move below three hours by June 16, and eventually, by June 30 it will fall to 1.5-2 hours.
He also claimed that the PTI government had lied about their power generation assertions, stating that not a single power plant had been installed during the last four years. "Two big plants that were used to generate cheap electricity were to be completed in 2019 have not be completed till today," he said.
The former premiere added that citizens weren't paying any taxes on petroleum products, which were being sold at original cost. He also said that the cost of production of electricity was Rs 60 per unit, which meant that the citizens were being provided electricity at cheaper rates.
Speaking at a press conference with other federal ministers on Monday, including State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N leader said that some time was needed by the government to rectify the shortage.
He said the country was producing 21,000 megawatts while there was a shortfall of 4,000 megawatts, and listed down the reasons for the current shortage, holding the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government responsible.
"The country's electricity demand has exceeded 25,000MW during the summer," he said. As a result of the shortfall however, the authorities were forced to implement a four-hour loadshedding across the country, the ex-prime minister said.
The former prime minister explained that when the incumbent PML-N government took over, the electricity generation capacity was at 17,000MW, which has now been increased to more than 21,000MW over the past three weeks.
Abbasi explained that when coal has been imported in the next stage, loadshedding will move below three hours by June 16, and eventually, by June 30 it will fall to 1.5-2 hours.
He also claimed that the PTI government had lied about their power generation assertions, stating that not a single power plant had been installed during the last four years. "Two big plants that were used to generate cheap electricity were to be completed in 2019 have not be completed till today," he said.
The former premiere added that citizens weren't paying any taxes on petroleum products, which were being sold at original cost. He also said that the cost of production of electricity was Rs 60 per unit, which meant that the citizens were being provided electricity at cheaper rates.