Storm topples 12 grid towers, sparks power crisis in Lahore’s heartland

ISLAMABAD:A powerful windstorm knocked down 12 key transmission towers of the national grid system near Lahore, triggering emergency load management of up to 200 megawatts across major parts of the provincial capital and exposing the vulnerability of the city’s power transmission network.

According to a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO), the severe storm damaged 12 towers of the 220kV Lahore North Circuit-I, Band Road Circuit-I and Band Road Circuit-II transmission lines, causing overloading on the Lahore North and Lahore North-Sheikhupura circuits.

The disruption forced authorities to carry out load management from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on May 11 in several densely populated and commercially important areas of Lahore. The scale of load management ranged between 50MW and 200MW depending on system conditions and electricity demand.

ISMO clarified that the outages were not caused by any shortage in electricity generation at the national level, stressing that the issue remained confined to the affected transmission circuits in Lahore.

“The country is not facing any power generation shortfall. The load management is purely due to damage caused to transmission infrastructure by the severe storm,” the statement said.

The affected feeders belong to several major grid stations, including Ravi, Baghbanpura, Badami Bagh, Mochi Gate, Chah Miran, Shalimar-I, Shalimar-II, Saggian, Fort, Sheranwala, Bhati Gate, McLeod Road, Qurtaba, Shahdara New and Gulshan Ravi.

Power sector officials said restoration work on the damaged towers and transmission lines was continuing on a war footing. However, they warned that temporary load management could continue in central Lahore until the affected circuits are fully restored and the transmission load normalizes.

The incident once again highlighted the growing pressure on Pakistan’s aging transmission infrastructure, particularly during extreme weather events, as Lahore — the country’s second-largest city and industrial hub — experienced electricity disruptions in peak evening hours.

ISMO said efforts were being made to keep load management at the minimum possible level to reduce inconvenience for consumers.