4. January 25th, 2015 Pakistan Blackout – 140 Million Affected
On January 24th 2015 rebels blew up two transmission towers in the Notal area of Naseerabad in Balochistan in the middle of the night. After the attack, most of the power plants in the country tripped which left only 600 MW of electricity available to meet the 9,000 MW that was needed for the normal operations. This left 80% of the country without access to power and was the worst blackout in Pakistan’s history.
By Sunday night power was restored to Islamabad and Karachi but large portions of the country were still without power, including provincial capitals. Officials were able to bring power back to nearly full capacity the following Monday but it was not enough to quell criticism over the management of the energy crisis. At the time Pakistan had been undergoing a fuel shortage for seven years which was part of the energy problems that the country experienced. Other critics commented that the rebel attack only proved how vulnerable the Pakistan power grid was and the improvements that needed to be made. In 2013 the Pakistan Muslim League-N party ran on a platform of fixing the power grid but by 2015 could not deliver. Debt issues, such as the refusal of government and military institutions to pay electrical bills, and political interference have made upgrading the power grid unlikely in the near future.
The rebel attack on the grid was not something new. It was the third such attack that month as it is the only way that Baluchistan rebels are able to fight for their independence. The large province seeks independence but the abduction and torture of separatists by the government has stopped any outright rebellion. Therefore, the rebels fight for their independence through small, guerrilla attacks on government infrastructure such as the rail lines, gas pipelines and electrical towers.