Load shedding in the Northern Areas is real and often severe. Gilgit-Baltistan's own water and power department told AFP in 2024 that Skardu was getting up to 22 hours of cuts a day in winter and 18 to 20 hours in summer, and protesters in Hunza in January 2025 said they were getting only one or two hours of power a day. The region is not on the national grid and makes almost all of its electricity from small hydropower stations, which produce least in winter just as demand peaks. This guide covers the pattern by season, what hotels do about it, what is being built, and how to keep your devices charged regardless.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Cause | Not on the national grid; small hydro plants that lose output when rivers drop |
| Worst season | Winter, roughly November to March |
| Reported winter cuts | Up to 22 hours a day in Skardu (2024); over 20 hours in Hunza (January 2025) |
| Reported summer cuts | 18 to 20 hours a day in Skardu (2024), driven by tourist demand |
| Relief on the way | A 100 MW solar programme approved in 2025, due over about three years |
| Best backup | A hotel that names its generator or solar hours, plus your own power bank |
| What to carry | Power bank, car charger, headlamp, spare batteries |
Why the power goes off
Gilgit-Baltistan is too remote for the national grid, so it relies on its own network of dozens of hydro and thermal plants. The thermal plants are expensive to run, so in practice supply follows the rivers. Those rivers are fed by snowmelt and glacier melt, both of which slow sharply in winter, when generation falls and demand for lighting and heating rises.
Two newer pressures make it worse. Demand has grown with tourism: the region hosted about 880,000 domestic visitors in 2023, up from 50,000 in 2014, according to figures given to AFP, and Skardu's hotel count has more than quadrupled since 2014. And floods have hit the supply side: the 2022 glacial lake outbursts washed away more than 20 power plants. The water and power department said load shedding hours had been rising by about 10 per cent a year for six years.
How bad it gets, by season
Winter (roughly November to March) is when it matters most. In January 2025 around 1,000 people blocked the Karakoram Highway at Aliabad in Hunza for several days, saying they had one or two hours of electricity a day while temperatures fell to minus 15°C, and the blockade halted freight to China. Our winter packing list for the Northern Areas is worth reading alongside this one if you are travelling between December and March.
Summer (roughly May to September) has more water but far more people. In Skardu in particular, the department's 2024 figure of 18 to 20 hours of cuts a day in summer shows that the tourist season does not guarantee steady power. Hunza and Gilgit vary by feeder and by year. Dawn reported protest rallies across Gilgit-Baltistan against heavy load shedding again in early July 2026.
Shoulder seasons (April, October, November) sit in between and shift year to year depending on how early winter closes in or how late the melt runs.
Expect variation between valleys, too: a town on a larger hydro scheme may fare noticeably better than a side valley on its own small station.
Is anything being done?
The main fix under way is solar. Ecnec approved a 100 MW solar programme for Gilgit-Baltistan in August 2025, costed at Rs 24,957 million and due to be completed over about three years, with Skardu first in line for about 19 MW. In July 2026 the federal government said the plan for its 82 MW utility-scale part had gone to Ecnec, and that an 18 MW rooftop system with battery storage was to be fitted to 499 government buildings by December 2026.
That should ease things over the next few years, but it will not change what you meet on a trip in 2026 or 2027. Plan as if long cuts are normal.
What hotels and guesthouses do about it
Almost every hotel and guesthouse that hosts tourists regularly has some backup plan, because without one it could not operate. AFP noted that higher-end hotels in Skardu supplement supply with solar panels or fuel generators, while many local households cannot afford to. In practice this means:
- A generator that runs during outages, often on a schedule, commonly a few hours in the evening, rather than continuously, to save fuel.
- Solar panels, increasingly common at newer or higher-end properties, sometimes with battery storage for lights and charging when the generator is off.
- Smaller guesthouses vary a great deal. Some run a generator only for a couple of hours in the evening for lighting and phone charging; others have none outside the main season.
- Heating matters as much as lighting in winter. An electric heater is useless during a cut, so ask what heats the room, not just whether there is backup; AFP noted that local households mostly rely on wood.
When booking, ask directly whether the property has generator or solar backup and for how many hours a day. Don't assume; ask, and get the answer in a message.
How to keep your devices charged
You don't need to plan your whole trip around load shedding, but a few habits make it a non-issue:
- Carry at least one large power bank (20,000mAh or more), fully charged before you leave the last town with reliable power.
- Charge in the car while you drive. A 12V car charger or inverter tops up phones, cameras and power banks on long driving days, which most Northern Areas days are anyway.
- Charge whenever power is on, not just at night. If the generator or grid comes on for two hours in the afternoon, use it.
- Bring a headlamp or torch rather than relying on your phone's light, which drains the battery you may need for maps or emergencies.
- Download maps and information offline before you lose signal or power. Our travel guide covers connectivity and planning more broadly.
- Pack spare batteries for cameras and any medical devices, since these can't always be charged from a phone power bank. Anyone who relies on a powered medical device, such as a CPAP machine, should confirm the hotel's backup hours before booking.
Who should worry about it
For most summer visitors, load shedding is an inconvenience: dim evenings, a generator schedule and a power bank in your pocket. It matters more for winter trips, for anyone working remotely who needs steady power and internet, for photographers with several batteries to charge, and for families with infants or elderly relatives who need warm rooms at night. If any of those apply, pay for a hotel that can state its backup in writing, and keep the itinerary to the larger towns. Our guides to the Northern Areas in February and in March cover what else winter travel involves.
Frequently asked questions
Is load shedding worse in winter or summer in the Northern Areas?
Winter, overall, because low river flow cuts hydropower output. But busy towns can suffer in summer too: Skardu was reported in 2024 to have 18 to 20 hours of cuts a day in summer, against up to 22 hours in winter.
Why doesn't Gilgit-Baltistan get power from the national grid?
It is not connected to it. The region depends on its own small hydro and thermal plants, and the thermal plants are rarely run because they are expensive.
Do hotels in Hunza and Skardu have generators?
Most hotels that regularly host tourists have a generator, solar power or both, though the hours covered vary a lot between a small guesthouse and a larger hotel. Ask directly when you book, especially for a winter trip.
Can load shedding protests affect my trip?
Yes. In January 2025 protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway at Aliabad in Hunza for several days over power cuts. Check local news before a long drive in winter.
Does load shedding affect internet and mobile signal too?
Yes, indirectly. Mobile towers and Wi-Fi routers need power, so a long outage can also mean patchy signal or no internet until supply returns, on top of whatever coverage gaps already exist.
