ISLAMABAD: In a major relief for millions of consumers, Federal Minister for Power Division Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari announced that scheduled electricity load management has been completely eliminated across the country following the timely arrival of liquefied natural gas shipments.

Addressing a press briefing, the minister confirmed that fresh LNG supplies reached Pakistan a day earlier, enabling authorities to stabilise electricity generation and restore uninterrupted power supply. He clarified that recent outages were not caused by system failures but were driven by acute fuel shortages that constrained generation capacity.

He noted that just two weeks ago, consumers faced up to five hours of load shedding during peak days in mid April. However, the situation gradually improved, with zero outages recorded between April 17 and 19, and limited disruptions of two to two and a half hours towards the end of the month.

The minister explained that global factors, including regional geopolitical tensions affecting gas supply chains, had disrupted fuel availability. He emphasised that relying fully on furnace oil or diesel to eliminate outages would have drastically increased electricity costs, forcing the government to carefully balance affordability with supply stability.

Highlighting operational improvements, he revealed that hydropower generation surged to nearly 6000 megawatts, significantly strengthening the national grid. He also corrected misconceptions about installed capacity, stating that actual available generation stands closer to 32000 megawatts, fluctuating with seasonal conditions.

Expressing confidence in sustained stability, the minister said proactive decisions helped avert a prolonged crisis and assured citizens that load shedding is unlikely to return. He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring reliable electricity while shielding consumers from excessive tariff shocks amid ongoing energy market volatility.