The Power Division has introduced a new nationwide electricity management plan aimed at controlling rising energy costs while keeping the system stable for consumers. Instead of traditional long and unpredictable load shedding, the government says it will now apply a planned daily electricity shutdown of around 2.25 hours during evening peak hours. This decision mainly targets the high-demand window between 5:00 pm and 1:00 am, when electricity use increases sharply across homes, markets, and industries.
According to officials, this step is necessary because the country still relies heavily on expensive imported fuels to produce electricity. When demand rises in the evening and cheaper energy sources like hydropower decrease, the system becomes more expensive to run. By managing demand through controlled outages, the government hopes to avoid even higher electricity tariffs in the future.
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The ministry explained that without these measures, electricity prices could have increased by Rs. 5 to Rs. 6 per unit, which would have placed a heavy burden on households. With the current strategy, the expected increase is reduced to around Rs. 1.5 per unit, helping protect consumers from a sharper price shock. Officials also highlighted that between July 2025 and February 2026, consumers already received about Rs. 46 billion in electricity relief, and the average price per unit dropped by 71 paisas, despite rising global fuel costs.
This improvement, according to the government, was achieved through system reforms, better planning, strict enforcement of the merit order, and improved use of low-cost electricity sources. Better transmission management and reduced operational losses also played a key role in saving costs.
Authorities have instructed all distribution companies to publish feeder-wise outage schedules so that consumers can plan their daily routines more effectively. The government says the goal is not just to manage shortages, but to protect citizens from global energy shocks while keeping electricity supply as stable and affordable as possible.
