Lights return to Pakistan but power cuts may remain in parts

Blackouts set to continue over the next two days after a nationwide failure of the power grid earlier this week

Pakistan's national power grid was restored on Tuesday, a day after a nationwide blackout left the country's 220 million residents in the dark.

The power cut, which started at 7.30am local time (2.30am GMT) on Monday caused tens of millions of dollars in industry losses, and has been linked to a cost-cutting measure.

This grid failure forced businesses to switch to backup generators, and caused major disruption to mobile and internet services.

The grid was repaired at 5.15am, Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said, but power cuts will continue over the next two days as coal and nuclear plants are brought back online.

"Industry will be exempt from this load-shedding," AFP reported Mr Khan saying in Islamabad.

Schools, hospitals, factories and shops were without power amid the harsh winter weather, AP reported.

Secretary general of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Shahid Sattar, estimated losses of $70 million to the sector, which is Pakistan's largest exporter and a crucial booster of foreign exchange reserves.

About 90 per cent of factories shut down on Monday with gas supplies being too "patchy" to stand in, he said.

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  Pupils work in the gloom at a high school in Rawalpindi, northern Pakistan, during a nationwide power cut on January 23. AFP

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  Staff at an electronic goods shop in Pakistan's commercial hub Karachi wait for power to be restored. Much of the country was left without electricity. AP

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  Shopkeepers wait for the power cut to end, in Lahore, northern Pakistan. The blackout lasted several hours. AP Photo

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  An almost deserted Orange Line metro station, closed due to the power cut. Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir said the grid was shut down due to 'fluctuations in voltage'. AP

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  A shopkeeper sits in near-darkness in Karachi. The blackout raised questions about the government's handling of the situation. Reuters

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  Volunteers with the Edhi Foundation, a social welfare programme, work at darkened desks in Karachi. Reuters

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  A shopkeeper starts a generator to bring electricity to his store in Karachi. Reuters

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  A worker waits for electricity to be restored in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan. Energy Minister Mr Dastgir said it was 'not a major crisis'. EPA

The precise cause of the grid failure remains unknown and PM Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation.

This will assess whether external hacking could have been a contributor, Mr Khan said.

He had earlier pointed to a period of low demand and a decision to save costs by taking some plants offline as potential catalysts.

Pakistan is grappling with a series of energy challenges, including ageing electricity transmission infrastructure has suffered repeated recent failures and a major breakdown of the national grid in January 2021.