Pakistan's Power Minister Awais Leghari has confirmed that the country is experiencing six to seven hours of load management a day, nearly three times the duration the government had previously announced, Dawn reported on 17 April 2026. He cited a sudden surge in demand, the unavailability of imported liquefied natural gas because of the Middle East crisis, and lower water discharges from dams.
According to the minister, demand fluctuated sharply in April with changes in the weather. It fell to a low of 9,000 MW on 9 April and rose to a peak of 20,000 MW six days later, on 15 April. The shortfall was estimated at about 3,400 MW.
Why the shortfall appeared
Pakistan has about 6,000 MW of power plants designed to run on imported LNG. Leghari said these plants have been mostly idle because LNG imports have been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, which has affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and supplies from Qatar, Pakistan's main LNG supplier. LNG-based plants were providing no more than 500 MW, and that from local gas.
Hydropower was also lower than usual for the time of year. Hydropower plants were supplying about 1,600 MW, Leghari said, because recent rains had reduced the provinces' need for irrigation water released from dams. In Pakistan, dam releases are governed mainly by irrigation requirements, so when farmers need less water, less is released through turbines. By comparison, he said, hydropower and LNG together had supplied 3,200 MW and 3,000 MW respectively at a similar point a year earlier.
The minister said that once demand exceeds about 16,500 MW, the system runs short after using all other available sources, including imported and local coal, nuclear, hydropower and solar. Every 500 to 600 MW of shortfall translates into roughly one hour of load management, he said.
Measures taken
The government postponed scheduled maintenance at nuclear power plants for several weeks, with no planned shutdowns until July. Reuters reported on 16 April that Pakistan was also increasing the use of furnace oil for power generation to cover the gap. Leghari said the government had kept furnace oil use limited because of its high cost and the effect on fuel cost adjustments in consumer bills.
Early closing times for markets, imposed by the government, reduced peak demand by about 1,200 to 1,400 MW, according to the minister. Without that measure, he said, load management would have been about two hours longer. Dam discharges were increased from 15,000 to 25,000 cusecs to raise hydropower output.
Leghari said spot LNG purchases were not possible at current prices and that foreign exchange was already under pressure from the cost of petrol and diesel imports. He said some Qatari supplies could be possible by mid-May.
Transmission constraints
The minister acknowledged that cheaper generation capacity in the south could not be fully used to supply the north because of transmission constraints and stability issues, made worse by the absence of LNG plants located in the middle of the country. As a result, there was no load management in the Karachi and Hyderabad areas, apart from loss-based load shedding by K-Electric in high-loss areas.
Weather and demand volatility
The swing from 9,000 MW to 20,000 MW in less than a week reflects how strongly Pakistan's electricity demand responds to temperature. Spring in Pakistan can move quickly from mild conditions to intense heat, and air conditioners and fans drive large and sudden increases in load. The country has experienced severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures in parts of Sindh and Punjab exceeding 45°C in May and June.
At the same time, the rapid spread of rooftop solar has changed the shape of demand on the grid. Many households and businesses now generate their own power during the day, which reduces daytime demand on the grid but leaves evening peaks, when solar output falls, to be met by conventional plants. Leghari said there was no load management during the day because demand was low and capacity was sufficient. Analysts have highlighted this pattern as a challenge for the grid's finances and planning, because fixed costs must be recovered from fewer units sold.
Water, hydropower and climate
Pakistan's hydropower depends on the Indus river system, fed by snow and glacier melt from the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush, along with monsoon rainfall. The timing of melt and rainfall affects how much water is available in reservoirs such as Tarbela and Mangla in spring and early summer. Variability in rainfall and temperatures, which climate scientists project will increase, makes hydropower output harder to forecast. In years when reservoirs are low before the monsoon, the system leans more heavily on thermal plants.
Regional comparison
Pakistan is not alone in facing pressure from the disruption to Gulf energy flows. Bangladesh and India also import LNG from Qatar, and South Asian buyers generally have less ability than European or East Asian buyers to pay high spot prices when supply tightens. Pakistan's situation is particularly difficult because it built LNG-fired capacity on the assumption of steady imports under long-term contracts, and because its foreign exchange reserves leave little room to compete for cargoes on the spot market.
Financial effects
Load management has a cost for the economy, affecting industry, small businesses and households. It also affects the power sector's finances. Capacity payments to independent power producers continue even when plants are idle, which is part of the circular debt problem that has burdened the sector for years. Using furnace oil and diesel raises fuel costs, which are passed to consumers through monthly fuel cost adjustments. Leghari said the expected adjustment would be around Rs1.3 per unit, compared with Rs1.8 per unit a couple of months earlier.
Pakistan's energy policy is also tied to its IMF programme, which includes commitments on tariff adjustments and reducing circular debt, and to the IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Facility, which supports climate-related reforms.
What to watch
Key questions include when LNG deliveries from Qatar resume, how quickly hydropower output rises as snowmelt increases into the summer, and how demand develops as temperatures climb in May and June. The pre-monsoon heat period is typically the most demanding for Pakistan's grid.