Story perspectives

Pakistan Enacts Daily Power Outages Amid Rising Energy Costs

4/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

Pakistan will implement rolling electricity outages of two to two-and-a-quarter hours daily during peak evening hours.
The measure aims to curb rising energy costs from increased reliance on expensive fuel imports after reduced hydropower.
Karachi and Hyderabad are exempt from the cuts due to access to cheaper power.
The outages have disrupted daily life for businesses and students.
LPG supply issues have intensified hardships, with many households unable to cook.

History

Historical Context

Pakistan's energy crisis began intensifying in 2006 due to rising demand and failing infrastructure, leading to severe blackouts by 2008, with losses exceeding 4,000 megawatts. The government has struggled to address these issues, relying heavily on costly fuel imports and facing public protests. Today, ongoing outages continue to threaten economic stability and disrupt daily life for millions.

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Story summary

Pakistan will implement rolling electricity outages of two to two-and-a-quarter hours daily during peak evening hours.
The measure aims to curb rising energy costs from increased reliance on expensive fuel imports after reduced hydropower.
Karachi and Hyderabad are exempt from the cuts due to access to cheaper power.
The outages have disrupted daily life for businesses and students.
LPG supply issues have intensified hardships, with many households unable to cook.

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