Pakistan’s energy minister blamed a lack of investment in the network. And said the government had “learned lessons” from the outages. That left millions without power.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan’s energy minister on Tuesday. Blamed the worst power outage in months on a lack of investment in the network. Saying the aid-dependent nation had “learned lessons.” From the breakdown that left millions without power.
Much like national infrastructure, the electricity network needs an upgrade. But funding has been scarce as Pakistan has moved. From one International Monetary Fund bailout to the next. The outage, which began Monday morning, was the second major outage since October.
“We learned the lesson from yesterday that we have to invest in the distribution system.” Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir told reporters as he announced. That power had been fully restored in the country of about 220 million people.
“There was no investment in improving these systems. From the previous government,” he added. The International Monetary Fund has bailed. Out Pakistan five times in the last two decades.
Pakistan has enough power capacity to meet demand, but the sector is so heavily indebted. That it cannot afford to invest in infrastructure and power lines. Analysts say transmission and distribution are the weakest links.
China has invested in its power sector as part of a $60 billion infrastructure project for its. “Belt and Road” initiative, but the details of these investments are unclear. Dastgir said the cause of the outage was not yet known. But the ministry was conducting a security audit of the entire network. “The government is planning to add more power distribution lines. Within the next 36 months,” he added.
Millions of Pakistanis suffer near-daily partial blackouts. including Scheduled “load-shedding” power outages aimed at conserving electricity.
Many take these disruptions in their stride, investing in generators. And solar panels to generate their own energy. but poor infrastructure also takes its toll.
“Without electricity, we can’t do anything,” said Sara Khan. Principal of a school for girls in the southern city of Jacobabad. That routinely runs 18 hours a day without electricity. “People are facing a lot of inconvenience due to power cuts.“
