Pakistan plans power cuts for 2 hours daily to curb electricity prices
West Asia war: The Pakistani government has instructed distribution companies to keep consumers informed about scheduled outages, and to avoid unplanned power cuts.
- Apr 15, 2026,
- Updated Apr 15, 2026 3:43 PM IST
West Asia war: Pakistan will reportedly cut power for two hours daily to manage electricity costs as the Iran war pushes the country’s energy ecosystem into a tailspin.
According to a report in Bloomberg, the country will cut electricity supply for about two hours in the evenings. Electricity demand rises significantly between 5 pm and 1 am, the government said. It said that the gap thrown up due to reduced hydropower generation would have to be met through fossil fuels, which have become expensive due to the war.
Hence, managing load during such a critical period would prevent power prices from significantly increasing for households. The report stated that the government has instructed distribution companies to keep consumers informed about scheduled outages, and to avoid unplanned power cuts.
While it said that the power system is stable and capable of meeting the demand, it also warned that peak-hour consumption is a key challenge.
Pakistan’s power ministry said that Karachi and Hyderabad will be exempt from the power cuts because of the availability of low-cost power generation in the southern region.
Former Pakistan central bank governor Reza Baqir said the Iran war has hit vulnerable countries from almost every country.
West Asia war: Pakistan will reportedly cut power for two hours daily to manage electricity costs as the Iran war pushes the country’s energy ecosystem into a tailspin.
According to a report in Bloomberg, the country will cut electricity supply for about two hours in the evenings. Electricity demand rises significantly between 5 pm and 1 am, the government said. It said that the gap thrown up due to reduced hydropower generation would have to be met through fossil fuels, which have become expensive due to the war.
Hence, managing load during such a critical period would prevent power prices from significantly increasing for households. The report stated that the government has instructed distribution companies to keep consumers informed about scheduled outages, and to avoid unplanned power cuts.
While it said that the power system is stable and capable of meeting the demand, it also warned that peak-hour consumption is a key challenge.
Pakistan’s power ministry said that Karachi and Hyderabad will be exempt from the power cuts because of the availability of low-cost power generation in the southern region.
Former Pakistan central bank governor Reza Baqir said the Iran war has hit vulnerable countries from almost every country.