People across Pakistan were left exasperated as loadshedding made a loud return in December. Some might be surprised to learn that the weather itself is the reason behind the current crisis.

While high demand is the main reason for the energy crisis in the summer, it was the onset of fog this year that brought back loadshedding.

A statement issued by the power division on Wednesday said that the recent round of loadshedding in the country happened after feeders tripeed on December 25 and 26.

The statement explained that the system had been deprived of 1,600 megawatts due to closure of canals and 700 MW due to LNG shortage. Although, authorities have tried to make up for the loss by generating an additional 800 MW from furnace oil, there is still way less electricity than needed.

However, it added that it was actually the harsh winter and fog which had posed a danger to the country’s transmission lines. The power division went on to say that the transmission system could sustain massive damage if they did not opt for loadshedding.

Read: How capacity charges make you pay for electricity you never use

Fog reduces the level of insulation on transmission wires and has even led to cables being snapped in some instances.

In fact, the problem has been so repetitive that in 2019, the National Transmission said Despatch Company said that it was looking into installing anti-fog disc insulators at Port Qasim in Karachi to resolve the issue.

NTDC officials had claimed at the time that there were ‘millions’ of insulators already installed across the transmisison lines in the country.

The danger to transmission lines is also posed by their age as well as the accumulation of dirst due to rising pollution levels in Pakistan. The wires remain not just at risk of tripping but of snapping completely.

As an added problem, maintainance operations also can be delayed due to the intense fog condensing on the transmission lines.

This time around, the regular winter transmission troubles were exacerbated by the LNG shortage that could blow into a crisis in January.

Pakistan is already suing international traders over their failure to supply LNG to Pakistan on time. In the meantime, the gap would have to be bridged by expensive furnace oil, bought from the international market using an ever-weakening currency.