2023 Pakistan blackout
| Date | 23 January 2023 |
|---|---|
| Time | 7:34am (02:34 GMT) |
| Duration | More than 12 hours in majority of the regions impacted |
| Location | Across Pakistan |
| Cause | Localized Utility frequency drop that cascaded across the national grid |
| Property damage | Over PKR 100 billion in losses to the economy, including $70m losses in textile industry |
| Previous blackout | |
The 2023 Pakistan blackout was a power outage that occurred across the entirety of Pakistan on 23 January 2023.[1] This was the second major grid breakdown in Pakistan in 2 years, and the second largest blackout in the history of the world.[2] In the majority of the regions, the blackout lasted about 12-13 hours while in some areas such as rural communities, it lasted even longer, ranging from 24 to 72 hour long outages. [3]
Power was restored to the capital city, Islamabad, and it's neighboring city, Rawalpindi, in about 8 hours. Lahore and Karachi received power after approximately 16 hours.[4]
Cause[edit]
The Energy Ministry issued a statement on Twitter that the system frequency of the national grid went down at 7:34am (02:34 GMT) on Monday morning.[5] Officials stated that the outage began in southern Sindh Province after an unusual fluctuation in the voltage. [6] The fluctuation led to a cascading failure at power plants across the country, until Pakistan was united in darkness.
Areas affected[edit]
According to the Power Minister of Pakistan, Khurram Dastgir Khan, the areas affected by power cuts included the major cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, as well as dozens of small cities and towns.[7] Almost 99% of Pakistan's population was in darkness around 9:30 PM on January 23, 2023. (GMT+5)
Impact[edit]
The blackout hit Internet and mobile phone services. Several companies and hospitals said they had switched to back-up generators, but disruptions continued. The blackout also resulted in $70m in losses for its textile industry.[8] People in different cities also complained water shortages as water pumps, which run on electricity, were not working. Many ATMs also stopped working and people were unable to withdraw money due to no backup power.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Hussain, Abid. "Pakistan hit by nationwide power outage after grid failure". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Shahzad, Asif (24 January 2023). "Pakistan begins restoring power after second major grid breakdown in months". Reuters. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Kamran, Ahmad Ahmadani, Asad Ullah (26 January 2023). "Exclusive: A blow-by-blow account of Monday's blackout". Profit by Pakistan Today. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Masood, Salman; ur-Rehman, Zia (23 January 2023). "Power Outage Sweeps Pakistan, Dropping Millions Into Darkness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Mogul, Sophia Saifi, Azaz Syed, Rhea (23 January 2023). "Nearly 220 million people in Pakistan without power after countrywide outage | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Masood, Salman; ur-Rehman, Zia (23 January 2023). "Power Outage Sweeps Pakistan, Dropping Millions Into Darkness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan power cut: Major cities without electricity after grid breakdown". BBC News. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Pakistan's energy and economic woes intensify as blackouts reveal deep-rooted issues". Asian Power. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Masood, Salman; ur-Rehman, Zia (23 January 2023). "Power Outage Sweeps Pakistan, Dropping Millions Into Darkness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 June 2023.