Karachi residents faced widespread blackouts on Friday night as K-Electric implemented unscheduled power cuts. The utility blamed the outages on a nationwide shortage of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which disrupted electricity generation across the country. Areas previously exempt from loadshedding, such as Defence, Clifton, and Gulshan-i-Iqbal, also experienced up to two hours of outages during evening peak hours and late at night.
In a statement posted on X at 7 PM, K-Electric spokesperson Imran Rana attributed the power cuts to international supply disruptions and delayed LNG cargoes. He noted that the utility was in close coordination with Pakistan LNG Limited and relevant authorities to restore normal supply as soon as possible.
According to official data shared by K-Electric earlier this year, the utility generated 19% of its electricity, or 252 MW, from LNG in December 2024. In addition to its own generation of around 1,600 MW, K-Electric draws 1,000 to 1,100 MW from the national grid to meet peak demand of up to 3,400 MW.
The power utility emphasized that load management was being undertaken as a last-resort measure to mitigate the impact of the LNG shortage.