Pakistan witnessed a notable improvement in electricity supply during the night of April 16–17, as increased water releases from dams significantly boosted hydropower generation and reduced load management hours nationwide.
According to a spokesperson for the Power Division, water discharge from dams surged to 30,000 cusecs, a sharp increase from 8,000 cusecs recorded the previous night.
The higher water outflow led to an increase of approximately 2,300 megawatts in hydropower generation. Total hydropower production rose from 1,800 megawatts to 4,100 megawatts, providing substantial relief to the national grid.
Officials said the improved generation also enabled the transmission of around 400 megawatts of electricity from the southern region to central and northern parts of the country, helping stabilize the system and reduce supply constraints.
The spokesperson added that growing water demand from the agriculture sector could further enhance hydropower output in the coming days.
As a result of the increased electricity supply, load management hours dropped significantly, declining from under six hours to approximately 2.5 to 3 hours in many areas.
Authorities expressed optimism that the early arrival of LNG supplies, combined with further improvements in hydropower generation, could help eliminate the temporary issue of load shedding in the near future.
