Pakistan plunged into darkness due to nationwide blackout... "Recovery in progress"

"Power Grid Frequency System Issues"... Widespread Impact Including Major City Karachi

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] A nationwide blackout occurred in Pakistan, according to Pakistani media such as Geo News.

According to reports, Pakistan's Ministry of Energy stated that at 7:34 a.m. local time on the 23rd, the national power grid frequency dropped below the normal range, causing widespread failures in the power system.

On the 23rd (local time), amid a massive blackout in Pakistan, a barber is cutting a customer's hair in a barbershop in Peshawar where the lights have gone out.

Qurum Dastagir, former Minister of Power, explained that the exact cause of the accident is still being investigated, stating, "The blackout occurred due to a failure in the southern region's power grid." He added, "Some parts of the power grid have already been restored," and "The goal is to fully restore the power grid by 10 p.m. tonight."

The blackout affected major cities including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. Darkness continued in residential and commercial areas, and some water supply was also interrupted. In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, about 90% of the local power grid was reported to be affected.

However, major buildings such as hospitals and stock exchanges operated their own generators and were reportedly not severely impacted.

In Pakistan, severe economic difficulties have caused unstable fuel supply, making it difficult to operate power plants, resulting in ongoing blackouts in various areas. Previously, in January 2021, a nationwide blackout occurred, and in October last year, a large-scale blackout centered in the southern region caused disruptions including the shutdown of nuclear power plants, but power was restored within 12 hours. The blackout at that time was found to have been caused by failures at two 500 kV transmission networks in southern Karachi.