The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has warned the federal government of a potential system-wide collapse of the national grid if lawmakers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa—either affiliated with the PTI or Sunni Ittehad Council—continue to forcibly enter grid stations and turn on power supply to areas with high line losses.
In a letter from earlier this week, the distribution company referred to “elected representatives” entering grid stations and forcibly switching on supply to feeders subjected to loadshedding due to power theft or other losses. It warned that the transmission and distribution system could not sustain full power to “high-loss, heavy load” feeders, as the demand could trigger a collapse of the system.
If such an eventuality were to occur, stressed PESCO, the damage caused to the transmission system could lead to a power outage spanning days, not hours. Additionally, it warned, the operation of the transmission system by “untrained/irrelevant people” could also damage the equipment.
The letter has also lamented police inaction over PESCO’s requests to lodge FIRs against members of national and provincial assemblies who have forcibly entered and switched on feeders at various grid stations.
PTI and SIC lawmakers, including KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, have repeatedly threatened the center over ongoing loadshedding in areas with high line losses and demanded that it not exceed 12 hours daily. The federal government, however, maintains the power outages are restricted to areas with a high degree of power theft and urged the government to address the issue if it wants to end the loadshedding.
On June 18, Gandapur and several other elected representatives forcibly switched on supply to 99 feeders from 15 grid stations. A day later, lawmakers forcefully switched on another 54 feeders at five grid stations. PESCO has noted that the lawmakers misbehave with staff and forcibly restart feeders without any care for the potential consequences.