Mangla Dam closure adds to power woes

ISLAMABAD: Power generation at Mangla Dam has been suspended due to a technical fault, resulting in 1,100-megawatt electricity shortfall that may take two to three days to restore, sources in the Water and Power Ministry have said.

Official sources at the National Power Control Centre told Daily Times a fire had erupted at one of the power generation units of Mangla on Monday, forcing its closure. They said the system had been overburdened for the past few days, and had been operating at its maximum limit.

Currently, Tarbela Dam is producing 2,000MW, independent power producers are producing 5,000MW, WAPDA is generating 3,000MW, and smaller units are generating 1,500MW of electricity.

Also on Monday, Gujranwala Electric Power Company Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Ibrahim Majoka claimed the recent power breakdown in Gujranwala was due to the fault at Mangla Dam, Online reported. staff report/online. link....