Karachi power plant out of order for ninth day

Karachi: Karachi's lone nuclear power generation plant remained out of order for ninth consecutive day on Wednesday, worsening the problem of prolonged and frequent electricity outages in this mega-city.

"The supply from the 90-megawatt Karachi Nuclear Power Plant remains suspended for the ninth day running, which has aggravated the problem of electricity shortage," said a spokesman of the private Karachi Electric Supply Corporation.

The 1970s-built first nuclear plant of the country tripped last Tuesday, shutting its power supply completely. Authorities said the plant remains safe for operations and would be back in production line soon.

"We are conducting a thorough check of our equipment and machinery to ensure international nuclear safety standards are met," a spokesman said.

This is the sixth time in the last five months that supply from the nuclear plant has stopped because of technical issues, sending worrying signals to the nuclear regulatory authorities of the country.