KE attributes prolonged power outages in metropolis to shortage of furnace oil.

Byline: Amir Wasim

K-Electric (KE) on Thursday attributed the prolonged power outages in the metropolis to a shortage of furnace oil, as lawmakers in the National Assembly questioned the role of the power utility.

In a statement, the power utility said that peak demand had crossed 3,450 megawatt because of the hot and humid weather being experienced by the city.

"Furnace oil is not available in the market to the level required, resulting in up to 800 mt shortfall daily. This has been in the news and the government is taking action by allowing imports.

"Also, a reduction of 50 mmcfd in regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) by the Sui Southern Gas Company has further added to the challenge."

The statement added that along with these factors, power from the wind corridor was also affected, resulting in the reduction of KE's power supply from 3,150MW to 2,800MW.

It added that the government had decided to import furnace oil and the situation was "likely to normalise" in the coming days.

On Wednesday, the power utility said that "violent mobs" had caused damage to KE's grid station and offices.

This endangers our teams and makes our job more difficult. We are working 24/7 to supply maximum power despite ongoing fuel shortage. Please bear with us at this challenging time.

MQM stages walkout in NA over power outages

Meanwhile, MQM lawmakers staged a walkout in the National Assembly on Thursday over prolonged power outages in Karachi and Hyderabad.

Speaking on a point of order, MQM MNA Usama Qadri said that the KE and the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) have added to people's misery due to prolonged load-shedding.

"On one hand, the government is imposing a 'smart lockdown' and asking the people to stay at home, and on the other, KE and Hesco are forcing people to come out on the streets.

Hyderabad is witnessing temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius and the people are on the roads protesting against Hesco.

He stated that whenever the issue was raised with Energy Minister Omar Ayub, he...