Pakistan’s federal government on Monday apologised to consumers facing unannounced load-shedding, saying the latest power cuts were caused by circumstances outside its control.

Power Minister Awais Leghari and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik addressed a press conference as unscheduled electricity outages were reported in different parts of the country.

Leghari said the government understood the difficulties being faced by consumers and apologised for the unexpected interruptions. He said the current situation was linked to problems affecting fuel supplies and power generation.

The government has been dealing with reduced fuel availability amid disruptions in regional energy supplies following the ongoing US-Iran war. The situation has created additional pressure on Pakistan’s electricity system, particularly for plants that depend on imported fuel.

Officials have linked the latest outages to an RLNG supply disruption. The shortfall has reportedly reduced electricity generation by around 3,600 megawatts, requiring power distribution companies to undertake load management to keep the national grid stable.

The ministers said efforts were under way to improve fuel availability and restore electricity supplies. The government has also stressed that the current disruption does not represent a permanent shortage of power generation capacity.

The fresh outages have nevertheless triggered public concern, particularly because many consumers experienced cuts without prior schedules.

The government is also facing pressure to strengthen the country’s fuel supply arrangements and reduce the vulnerability of the power sector to disruptions in imported energy supplies.

The ministers’ apology came as the government sought to explain why consumers were facing unexpected outages despite Pakistan having substantial installed power-generation capacity.