Understanding the IESCO Power Disruption Across Five Cities
Residents across five major urban and surrounding regions will face planned electricity interruptions on Saturday, November 7, as the Islamabad Electric Supply Company undertakes comprehensive maintenance operations. The scheduled outages will impact neighborhoods, commercial districts, and vital installations across Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal. Utility authorities have organized this large-scale suspension to facilitate critical infrastructure work, including annual maintenance, grid transformer upkeep, and new construction development.
Most standard 11kV feeders are slated for shutdowns between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM, creating a five-hour window where households and businesses must manage without grid power. However, certain strategic and industrial locations will endure extended interruptions stretching up to eight hours. The extensive geographical spread of this operation underscores the vast network managed by the utility, which services millions of consumers across northern Punjab and the federal capital territory.
Maintenance Scope and Specific Feeder Timings
The operational schedule reveals varying durations depending on the specific nature of engineering tasks required at each grid station or transmission line. In Rawalpindi Cantt, the New GHQ feeder faces the longest single outage of the day, remaining inactive from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Meanwhile, Rawalpindi City experiences an early start on the KRL Complex feeder, which stays off from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
In the federal capital, construction-related feeders servicing Bani Gala, Ghauri Town, and Sohan will experience disruptions from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Technical work on the Nilore-Bahria Enclave 132kV transmission line is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Neighboring Attock sees similar extensions, where multiple construction feeders and the Sanjwal-Attock transmission circuit stretch maintenance periods to approximately seven hours. These localized measures follow similar regional power cuts implemented on November 3 and November 4.
Islamabad and Rawalpindi Operational Circles Affected
The Islamabad Operation Circle covers diverse areas including Nilore, Tarlai, Bara Kahu, Murree, Jhika Gali, and Patriata. Major urban sectors such as D-12, F-6, F-8, G-6 through G-13, H-9, H-11, and I-9 through I-11 will experience localized halts. The 132kV F-6 grid station maintains a specific midday window for power transformer upkeep affecting key commercial and administrative zones like Blue Area and Jinnah Avenue.
In Rawalpindi City, divisions spanning Satellite Town, Westridge, and central urban sectors are affected. Feeders supplying Raja Sultan, National Market, Kurri Road, and Liaqat Bagh are listed for the standard morning window. Concurrently, the Rawalpindi Cantt Operation Circle encompasses Chaklala, Mandra, Rawat, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, and Tariqabad. Essential medical and military infrastructure within the cantonment, such as the Fauji Foundation Hospital and Military Hospital, face coordinated closures ranging from three to five hours to ensure safety during high-voltage maintenance.
Attock and Jhelum Regional Grid Upgrades
Attock division experiences extensive downtime across Taxila, Wah Cantt, Hassan Abdal, Hazro, Pindi Gheb, and Fateh Jang. Construction feeders originating from Sangjani through Wah and Taxila operate on adjusted morning schedules starting at 7:00 AM. Furthermore, transformer maintenance at the Sanjwal grid station takes offline critical industrial and defense-linked feeders from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
In the Jhelum Operation Circle, outages target Jhelum-I, Jhelum-II, and Gujar Khan divisions, incorporating Sarai Alamgir, Dina, Sohawa, and Bewal. Localized feeders such as Bilal Town, Langer Pur, Bolani, and Puran are scheduled for downtime between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Utility representatives have formally apologized for the resulting inconvenience, urging local communities to exercise patience and cooperation while technical teams complete the necessary grid modernizations.
