Islamabad: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has directed K-Electric (KE) to immediately stop unannounced, unscheduled and excessive power outages, particularly those affecting compliant and paying consumers.
The regulator has declared the government’s revenue-based or commercial load shedding policy illegal and ordered KE to develop and implement alternative technological and administrative measures to control electricity theft and commercial losses instead of resorting to feeder-level load shedding.
The directions were issued after NEPRA took serious notice of repeated complaints from citizens across Karachi regarding unscheduled, excessive and discriminatory load shedding.
The complaints surfaced during the Authority’s monthly public hearings on Fuel Price Adjustments (FCAs) for Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and KE.
According to the regulatory findings, the complaints were not isolated incidents but reflected what NEPRA described as a systemic problem in the utility’s approach to load management. The authority subsequently initiated proceedings against KE under the applicable legal and regulatory framework.
The inquiry found that KE had been enforcing load shedding under what NEPRA termed a self-styled AT&C losses policy. The regulator observed that the policy had no recognition under the NEPRA Act, applicable rules or the utility’s licence. NEPRA further found that KE was routinely exceeding its own declared loadshedding schedules and subjecting consumers to prolonged and unannounced outages.
The authority had previously imposed a penalty of Rs50 million on KE through an order dated April 4, 2024, for what it termed egregious conduct, including unjustly penalising compliant consumers and failing to address its operational inefficiencies despite receiving substantial amounts under the operation and maintenance (O&M) head.
