November 3 IESCO Electricity Outage Schedule Across Five Cities
The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) will suspend electricity in parts of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal on Tuesday, November 3. Residents and business owners across these five administrative regions must prepare for temporary power disruptions as utility crews carry out essential infrastructure upgrades and seasonal repairs.
According to the shutdown schedule shared by IESCO, supply will remain off mostly from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM for annual maintenance of 11kV feeders, construction and development work, and maintenance of power transformers at grid stations. These temporary suspensions are designed to prevent catastrophic grid failures during peak usage seasons by ensuring that distribution networks operate at peak efficiency.
Understanding IESCO Grid Station Maintenance and Upgrades
The Islamabad Electric Supply Company manages power distribution across a vast territory, serving millions of residential, commercial, and industrial consumers. Maintaining an extensive network of transmission lines, grid stations, and local distribution feeders requires systematic, routine shutdowns. Grid stations rely on heavy-duty power transformers that step down high voltages for safe local consumption. Over time, these transformers and associated 11kV feeders accumulate wear from environmental exposure and heavy electrical loads, necessitating scheduled interventions.
In Chakwal, some feeders on the 132kV Sethi grid station will be off from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, while others will be off from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Maintenance on the 132kV Murree-Chatter Kalas transmission line will run from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and on the Lakar Mar-Tamman line from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with no grid station affected. The same maintenance program also cut power across the region on November 2, and IESCO says such work is being carried out daily to keep the regional grid stable.
Islamabad Operation Circle Power Suspensions
Urban centers and residential sectors within the federal capital will experience widespread interruptions as technical teams target critical distribution lines. In Islamabad, outages are scheduled in Bara Kahu, Murree and Patriata, along with sectors including D-12, E-11, F-7, F-8, G-6, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, G-13, I-8 and I-10. Feeders on the 132kV D-12 grid station will also be off for power transformer maintenance.
Commercial hubs, government residential enclaves, and healthcare facilities situated within these designated sectors will experience a pause in grid electricity. Hospital administrators and commercial enterprises in these zones typically rely on backup generators to maintain continuous operations during utility maintenance windows. Residents are advised to store adequate water and charge electronic devices ahead of the 9:00 AM cutoff.
Rawalpindi City and Cantt Regional Outages
Rawalpindi faces extensive maintenance across both its urban core and military cantonment divisions. In Rawalpindi City, feeders in the City, Satellite Town and Westridge divisions will be shut down. This encompasses densely populated commercial bazaars, residential mohallas, and industrial pockets that require uninterrupted power during standard business hours but must occasionally endure scheduled downtime for grid reliability.
In Rawalpindi Cantt, outages cover the Cantt, Mandra, Rawat and Tariqabad divisions. Feeders on the 132kV Cantt grid station will also be off for power transformer maintenance. These military and civilian residential zones house critical defense infrastructure, educational institutions, and medical centers that coordinate closely with utility schedulers to minimize disruption to emergency services.
Attock, Taxila, and Jhelum Grid Maintenance Details
Surrounding districts outside the immediate twin cities will also see scheduled downtime as regional teams execute localized repairs. In Attock, feeders in the Taxila, Attock and Pindigheb divisions, including Wah Cantt, Hassan Abdal and Fateh Jang, will be affected. Industrial estates, housing societies, and rural agricultural feeders in this corridor require careful synchronization to protect sensitive machinery from voltage fluctuations.
In Jhelum, outages are scheduled in the Gujar Khan, Jhelum-I and Jhelum-II divisions. Industrial consumers such as textile mills, along with municipal water supply tube wells, must plan their production cycles around the 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM shutdown window. Utility officials emphasize that completing these technical upgrades safely protects the broader transmission network from unexpected winter trip-outs.
Practical Guidelines for Affected Consumers
Power utility customers living within the affected operation circles should take proactive measures to manage the five-hour service interruption. Households should ensure water storage tanks are filled prior to 9:00 AM, as domestic water pumps dependent on electric motors will cease functioning during the outage. Local businesses reliant on cold storage or continuous digital transactions should verify fuel supplies for backup generators.
IESCO officials reiterate that power restoration may occur earlier than scheduled if technical teams complete their assigned maintenance tasks ahead of time. Consumers are advised to keep main circuit breakers switched off during the outage period to protect household appliances from potential power surges when electricity is suddenly restored to the distribution lines.
