ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday directed the Ministry of Water and Power not to exceed load shedding by more than six hours in urban areas and eight hours in rural areas during the summer.
Chairing a meeting on energy situation in the country at the PM House, the prime minister said the government was taking all necessary steps to meet the energy shortage in the country during its tenure.
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He said the government expects to add around 10,000MW electricity to the national grid during this time period, which includes generation through solar, wind, hydro, nuclear as well as LNG.
He said the PML-N government is focusing on development and was confident that increased availability of electricity would not only provide relief to the common man by reduced load-shedding but also give a boost to the industrial and agricultural sectors.
The prime minister was informed that the country was currently facing a shortfall of around 5,000MW to 6,000MW, which was expected to rise with the passage of time and was given briefing on the progress about power generation projects, being undertaken to meet the shortfall.
He also directed the ministry to take steps for conservation of electricity including considering closure of shops and markets earlier. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Water and Power Secretary Younus Dhaga and Petroleum Secretary Arshad Mirza.
