The Punjab government has decided to establish a transmission company for the province following the electricity breakdown that plunged Pakistan into darkness over the weekend of January 9 and 10.

In an interview to SAMAA TV, Punjab Power Minister Akhter Malik said a summary regarding the launch of the Punjab Transmission and Distribution Company has been sent to the federal cabinet.

The company will install its own electricity wires and transmission grids. “The construction of such power plants will prevent the entire country from going into darkness,” he said.

Malik said the focus will not be on LPG while RLNG is very expensive. “Punjab will approach other provinces for gas.”

Last weekend, a major power breakdown hit several cities across Pakistan.

The frequency at the Guddu Power Plant dropped from 50 to zero within a second, resulting in the blackout. Following this, the supply of over 10,000 megawatts of electricity across Pakistan was suspended.

Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub has said that the reason behind the blackout is still unknown. “We can’t say anything about the fault until and unless the investigation is completed.”

The National Transmission and Dispatch Company has blamed human error for the fault that plunged the country into darkness. The circuit breaker that tripped had been maintained without supervision of the National Power Control Center, the NTDC said in its report.