Blackout across Pakistan as powerhouses trip offline
25 February, 2013
KARACHI: Pakistan has been hit by a massive power outage after two major powerhouses tripped offline, our sources reported.
According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) the fault struck after the failure of HUBCO Power Plant, which knocked at least 1200 megawatts of power out of the system.
"After HUBCO broke down the system was first diverted to Tarbela and then to Mangla, but both of them tripped offline one after the other", said a WAPDA spokesman.
He added that HUBCO power plant was under repair on emergency basis.
He however added that it could take the teams of engineers at least two hours to fix the fault in the national grid.
"Our teams are working as quickly and safely as possible to identify the problem and restore power for all the affected consumers", he added.
According to experts the sudden loss of power caused a load-shed, which is a safety measure that protects the electrical system and prevents a longer, more widespread outage.
Dozens of cities across Pakistan including Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabsha, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad plunged into darkness after Mangla and Tarbela powerhouses tripped.
According to sources large swathes of Balochistan including at least 18 districts of Quetta have been affected by the breakdown.
Most parts of Sindh are also facing the same conditions, the sources added.
Reports pouring in from Punjab are not different as hundreds of cities there also remain without electricity.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwah is no exception as sources say there is no power in nearly all the major cities of the province.
Panic walloped the country after the mega breakdown as speculations of all kinds doing rounds everywhere.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has taken notice of a rare power breakdown that pushed the entire country into darkness late Sunday night.
The premier got cognizance from officials in the ministry of water and power about the fault that occurred in the national grid and led to nationwide blackout.
The prime minister issued directions for immediate measures to restore the electricity.
Mr Ashraf directed the officials to enhance coordination among the authorities concerned and kept the Prime Minister House informed about the situation after every 30 minutes. He also ordered an inquiry into the issue.
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