Long unannounced power cuts in Pakistan's Karachi

Karachi [Pakistan], August 6 (ANI): Power outages piled up misery in Pakistan's Karachi in scorching heat as the main power provider of the city failed to meet its electricity consumption needs.
K Electric is carrying out an announced load shedding but in the port city. Different areas of the metropolis, including Federal B. Area, are facing six hours of unannounced load shedding, Geo News reported.
Several areas, including those exempt from load sheddings, such as North Karachi, Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Korangi and Clifton are facing interruptions in power supply.
Upon the load shedding, the power utility reiterated its oft-repeated position and said that they have not enhanced the span of power outages in the city nor made any change in the load shedding schedule.
Earlier this week, the KE announced that the first unit of K-Electric's Bin Qasim Power Station 3 (BQPS-III) is currently offline following a fault identified during a test. It said, however, that no additional load-shedding will be carried out, according to Geo News.
"Currently, the power supply to the city is as per the routine schedule announced on June 30th 2022 and available on the KE website," according to the statement.
Pakistan is facing an escalation of its power crisis after it failed to agree on a deal for natural gas supply next month. Tenders for July were scrapped due to high price, and low participation as the nation is already taking action to tackle widespread blackouts.
Pakistan's government is attempting to boost energy conservation, has cut working hours for public servants and ordered shopping malls to factories to shut early in various cities, including Karachi.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led incumbent government had earlier pledged to surmount the issue of power shortfall. Last month, PM Shehbaz said the federal government was making all-out efforts to revive the stalled power plants to put an end to the huge energy crisis faced by the country, reported Geo News.
Pakistan already has two long-term supply deals with Qatar -- the first signed in 2016 for five cargoes a month, and the second in 2021, under which Pakistan currently gets three monthly shipments but the nation is currently under a massive grip of widespread power outrages as procurement of the chilled fuel remains unreliable and expensive due to its increased reliance on LNG for electricity generation.
The fast depletion of the foreign exchange reserves was the result of Pakistan's inflation of twin deficits, and a lack of foreign currency inflows.
Inflation in Pakistan entered the double-digit mark in July, the biggest surge in nearly six years. (ANI)