2021 Pakistan blackout
| Date | 9 January 2021 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11.41pm local time (1841 GMT) |
| Location | Across Pakistan |
| Cause | An engineering fault in Guddu power plant in southern Pakistan |
| Property damage | Rs.50 million fine imposed on the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) |
| Following blackout | |
The 2021 Pakistan blackout was a power outage that occurred across Pakistan on January 9, 2021.[1][2]
Cause
[edit]The Power Minister Omar Ayub cited the reason that at 11.41pm local time (1841 GMT) on Saturday January 9, the blackout was caused by “an engineering fault” in Guddu power plant in southern Pakistan which tripped the system and caused power plants to shut down.[3][4]
Areas affected
[edit]Areas affected by power cuts include the capital Islamabad, along with major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Muzaffargarh, Narowal, Bhakkar, Kabirwala, Khanewal, Bahawalpur and Sukkur.[5] Between 80 and 90 per cent electricity supply was suspended during the blackout.[6]
Impact
[edit]The blackout affected the operations of airports as well as forced the hospitals to use their backup generators. An inquiry was also conducted by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to probe the incident and imposed a fine of Rs50 million on the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC). NEPRA stated the reason that the NTDC failed to ensure the supply of electricity in a timely manner.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Masood, Salman (2021-01-09). "Much of Pakistan Loses Power in Massive Blackout". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ Saifi, Sophia (2021-01-10). "Power outage plunges Pakistan into darkness". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "'Countrywide blackout' plunges Pakistan into darkness". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "Nationwide power blackout plunges Pakistan into darkness". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 2021-01-10. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "Cities left in the dark amid major electricity breakdown across Pakistan". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ Parkin, Benjamin; Bokhari, Farhan (2021-01-10). "Pakistan's power restored after massive blackout". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "NTDC fined Rs50m over 2021 blackout". The Express Tribune. 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2023-06-28.