KARACHI, APR 17 (DNA): Pakistan’s power generation rose by 5% year-on-year in March, driven primarily by a significant surge in electricity output from local coal.
According to official data, power generation totalled 8,409 GWh in March, up from 8,023 GWh in the same month last year. On a month-on-month basis, generation jumped 21% from 6,945 GWh in February.
However, overall power generation for the first nine months of the current fiscal year fell by 2% to 90,147 GWh, compared to 92,340 GWh in the same period last year.
In March, electricity generation from local coal recorded a sharp increase of 62% year-on-year (YoY), while generation from wind rose by 23%. Power generated from wind and solar also increased by 12% and 9.0%, respectively, during the month.
Conversely, hydel power generation dropped steeply by 41% due to reduced water inflows in reservoirs, caused by below-average rainfall. Over the nine-month period, generation from imported coal increased by 46%, while solar power generation rose by 26%.
The cost of electricity generation in March climbed by 14% to Rs9.46 per unit, compared to Rs8.31 per unit in the same month last year. The rise in generation cost was mainly attributed to the increased use of furnace oil and RLNG-based power production. On a monthly basis, the cost surged by 25% compared to February.
Despite the March spike, the average power generation cost for the first nine months of the fiscal year edged down by 1.0% to Rs8.65 per unit, from Rs8.75 per unit in the same period of the previous year.
In terms of contribution by source, hydel remained the leading contributor in March, accounting for 27.6% of total generation, followed by nuclear at 25.8% and RLNG at 20.7%.
Over the nine-month period, hydel contributed 30.4% of total electricity generation, while nuclear and RLNG accounted for 19.1% and 17.4% respectively. Local coal contributed 12.4% to total generation during the same period.
![PESHAWAR, JAN 12 /DNA/ - Owing to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's precarious law and order circumstances, the provincial assembly has written a letter to the Peshawar corps commander seeking an in-camera briefing on ongoing operations and the security situation in the province. "The [special] Committee desires to receive a detailed briefing from Headquarters XI Corps, Peshawar, particularly in the context of the ongoing operations being conducted by the federal government and LEAs in the merged districts of KP," reads the letter issued by KP Assembly Deputy Secretary Tariq Noor, while referring to the Special Committee (on Security) constituted by the house. The committee features more than 40 members, including the leader of the house, the leader of the opposition and provincial ministers, along with parliamentary leaders of respective political parties. The letter, dated January 8, also points out that the committee has received detailed briefings from key stakeholders, including the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, the IGP, and now seeks a briefing as part of the consultative process. Letter written by KP Assemblys deputy secretary to Headquarters XI Corps. — Reporter Letter written by KP Assembly's deputy secretary to Headquarters XI Corps. — Reporter The KP Assembly's request for a briefing from a senior army commander comes as the province, as stated by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a recent media briefing, accounted for nearly 71% of all the terrorist incidents in 2025. The overwhelming share of KP in facing terror incidents, as per the military's spokesperson, was due to a "politically conducive environment and the flourishing political-criminal-terror-nexus" in the province. Noting that the Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in KP was resisting counterterrorism efforts at every forum — a claim denied by the PTI — Lt Gen Chaudhry highlighted that the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the country in 2025, of which 14,658 IBOs were conducted in KP. Out of the total 5,397 terrorism incidents reported nationwide in the previous year, as many as 3,811 incidents occurred in KP. The issue of terrorism and military operations has been a point of contention between the PTI's KP government and the Centre in recent times, where the former has time and again stressed a political solution and dialogue, whereas the latter has pressed on with taking action against the terrorists. This is also reflected by the KP Assembly's letter to the Headquarters XI Corps, Peshawar, which says that the Special Committee (on Security) "acknowledges the importance of security measures but considers that operation alone without broader political, social and developmental initiatives may not ensure suitable peace and stability and could risk further unrest in the province".](https://islamabadpost.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/security-forces-218x150.jpg "KP Assembly seeks Peshawar corps commander’s in-camera briefing on security situation")
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