Pakistan goes dark

ISLAMABAD, KARACHI, LAHORE: the whole country plunged into darkness after it suffered complete power breakdown a couple of minutes before midnight.

The power blackout was caused by a sudden drop of frequency within the high cable (HTL) to 0 from 50. consistent with initial report, a technical fault appeared within the Guddu Power House at 11:45pm, due to which the frequency in high cable (HTL) instantly went down, causing the closure of all power houses across the country.

Minister for Energy (Power Division) Omar Ayub Khan said: “The whole country has been exposed to electrical blackout and that i am personally supervising the operation for restoration of power supply and immediately i'm in NPCC.” The energy minister further said that the blackout was caused after the frequency within the national power distribution system suddenly fell from 50 to zero.

Experts say that when an outsized plant trips, the voltage and frequency drops instantly. Plants that are on system are designed to automatically open breakers and isolate themselves to avoid damage. the facility houses will now be back within the system one by one.

Wapda’s Muzammil Hussain said experts were engaged to energise the system by starting Tarbela power houses. He said Wapda experts will help the NPCC in energising the system in phases.

In all the provinces including Azad Kashmir, there's a blackout, an NPCC official said, adding that authorities are on toes to revive the facility supply.

Information Minister Shibli Faraz also said that the breakdown had been caused by a "technical fault" within the NTDC system. "System is being restored," he tweeted.

Three units of Tarbela and power houses of Warsak are made operational.

Managing Director National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) Khawaja Rifat Hassan has formed a high-level committee to research the explanation for power breakdown.

A spokesman for NTDC said efforts were being made to revive the transmission . “Power are going to be restored first for Islamabad then within the whole country in phases. Official sources till the filing of this report said electricity supply would be resumed in Islamabad within three hours and therefore the remainder of country by 8:00am. The convener of the committee formed for investigating the explanation for breakdown is head GSO Malik Javed, while members include GM Technical Abbas Memon, Chief Engineer Protection and Control Atif Mujeeb Usmani and Chief Engineer Network Operations Sajjad Ahmed.

The spokesman said that when the initial frequency is restored, the traditional resumption of power will become accordingly.

As much as 90 per cent of Karachi was without electricity because the city’s sole power supplier, K-Electric’s system collapsed after the Jamshoro cable tripped.

The Governor House, Chief Minister House, Jinnah International Airport, all major hospitals were bereft of power, however, many of such essential buildings had standby generators which could provide power for a few hours. Major water pumping stations of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board also suffered a blow after the facility breakdown thanks to which the water system to the town was suspended. Small distribution pumping stations, consistent with the water board’s spokesperson might be run through generators.

Entire neighbourhoods witnessed black out including North Karachi, Surjani Town, Landhi, Gulberg Town, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Saddar, Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, PECHS, Korangi, Landhi and Malir besides many other areas of the town were affected thanks to the facility breakdown.

Sindh’s Minister for Energy Imtiaz Sheikh said that a serious plant seems to possess tripped, which is being traced.

Electricity has been restored at Shahi Bagh gird and Bahria Town and restoration process at individual feeder was also underway.

The Ministry of Energy said electricity supply restoration has already been started in Islamabad. It said power has been restored on 19 feeders of zero grid.