Thaddo Dam Flooding Topples 132kV STDC Tower; Power Restored on Minister Nasir Shah’s Directive

Staff Reporter

Karachi: Sindh Minister for Energy, Development, and Planning Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that heavy flooding at Thaddo Dam caused the collapse of a 132kV Sindh Transmission & Dispatch Company (STDC) tower, disrupting the supply of 100 MW electricity to Karachi.

Responding swiftly, Minister Shah directed STDC CEO Saleem Ahmed Sheikh to take immediate emergency measures. Sheikh, along with Senior GM Tariq Saeed, Technical Manager Saad Zuberi, and Assistant Technical Manager Muhammad Bilal, successfully re-erected the collapsed tower on a temporary basis, restoring the 100 MW supply to the city.

According to Saleem Sheikh, the incident occurred on the night of 9 September 2025, when Tower No. 349 of the 132kV double-circuit transmission line from Sindh Noriabad Power Company (SNPC) to K-Electric’s DA 33 Grid Station collapsed due to flooding. He explained that while installing a new tower usually takes about a month, the STDC team made history by completing a temporary re-erection in record time using long boom cranes and specialized transmission line teams. Work on a permanent replacement tower has already begun.

Minister Nasir Shah praised CEO Saleem Sheikh and his team for their dedication, saying such hardworking officers are an asset to the province. “Sindh is not short of capable officers who can rise to the occasion in emergencies,” he remarked.