Energy Crisis in Pakistan

 March 11, 2023
By Usama Rehman


Pakistan is land with ample indigenous natural resources. These resources can play a pivotal role in helping and running country’s economy. The mismanagement of the resources and ignorance can lead to several crises. The governance and leadership in Pakistan seems to be ignoring and undermining these factors. This ignorance for a developing country like Pakistan which is already going through a tumultuous economy has many ramifications. Pakistan is encapsulated with a number of problems ranging from social, economic to political domain. All these factors have been unattended by the leadership for many years. It has a Herculean task to solve and addresses these issues. Amongst them is the energy crisis that has remained unaddressed for many years.

Pakistan is witnessing acute energy crisis. It has been observed that the electricity shortfall widened to 7,000 megawatts, which indicates that the energy crisis in Pakistan has deepened to such an extent. The sweltering weather conditions have amplified the demand to produce 28,200 megawatts whereas the power supply is 21,200. Currently, hydropower is generating 4,635 megawatts of electricity, the governments thermal power plants facilitates the country with 1,060 megawatts whereas 9,677 is manufactured by IPPs. The shortage of oil, gas and coal has led the country to shut several power plants. Due to this shortfall, different parts of the country are going under severe load shedding with duration of 10 to 12 hours. The lives of people have been miserable due to power cuts.

The looming energy crisis in Pakistan can be traced back to the 1990s. In 1970s, the government launched two massive projects in the form of Mangla and Tarbela dams. The energy crisis was averted with the launch of these mega projects. These projects not only proved fruitful to overcome energy crisis rather they lend a hand in economic growth. The economic growth soar the energy demand. Due to several factors, government was unable to keep up and satisfy demand. The inability to cope the situation, lack of policy making, mismanagement of resources has made the situation worse to the present day.

There are several reasons behind every problem. If the problem is not tackled in a proper way, it can affect societies, citizens, and economy of the country drastically. Pakistan is confronted with unprecedented energy crisis. It is essential for the prevailing government to assess the depth of the situation and take measures to bring out the best possible solutions. The production of energy is stagnant while the use of it increasing by every passing day. It seems that government has categorically excluded this aspect from priorities. This ignorance has resulted in energy crisis in Pakistan.

It is important for our politicians to work for the well being of the country leaving behind their differences. Pakistan can be steered on the right path of prosperity if there seems unanimity and consensus among the politicians. Unfortunately, the politicians and parliament is divided so badly that they are unable to realize the severity of the situation. The best example in this regard is Kalabagh dam. The disunity among politicians had shunned the idea of construction of the dam. If the dam had been constructed, it would have reduces the energy crisis. Since it’s been so long that Pakistan has not built any dam and water reservoirs, it has further aggravated and exacerbated the situation.

The other factor that contributed to the energy crisis is the incapability of government to collect funds in order to launch new power projects. The economic condition of any country plays an integral part in collecting funds. Pakistan’s current economic situation is not up to the mark to appeal to foreign funding. The collection of funds is dependent on budget deficit. According to Economic Survey of Pakistan, the Pakistan’s fiscal deficit is Rs.1.13 trillion in 2021. Due to high fiscal deficit, it is impossible to stat over new power projects without having specified amount of funds.

The factor that needs government’s attention is the use of modern technology. The leadership should ponder upon the use of technology. There is a dire need for the government to make use of advanced equipments to overcome the crisis. The energy crisis can be reduced to 50 years only by brining solar and wind energy into use. This method also failed to grab the attention of our politicians.

Apart from these factors, one of the causes leading to crisis is the theft of energy. People in Pakistan have adopted this norm very well without taking into account the consequences the country is going to face. Every year, 4,500 megawatts energy has been stolen and 100 billion bills are unpaid. This practice has adverse effects on economy. If the energy will be theft and bills would be unpaid, the country is not capable of purchasing energy with a circular debt that is increasing by every passing day. The energy theft was recorded to 2.73 trillion in the year 2021.

All these factors have led the country to experience the energy crisis. There are problems but effective measures and appropriate remedies can be used to encounter such problems. These factors provide an insight into plethora of problems that Pakistan is facing. The energy crisis has reached to an alarming stage which needs to be properly addressed. Our politicians need to take at deteriorating situation of Pakistan. They should keeps their personal interests aside and prioritize the country’s interests. Therefore, it is the need of an hour to take initiatives to halt the looming crisis of energy; otherwise darkness will be the fate of the country. Then there will be no use of crying over spilt milk.