The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has taken serious notice of the ongoing excessive loadshedding in Karachi and directed K-Electric to address consumer grievances and restore a reliable electricity supply immediately.
In a letter to K-Electric’s CEO, Nepra highlighted numerous complaints reporting daily outages exceeding 12 hours in several localities, with individual interruptions lasting between two and three hours. The regulator said these prolonged outages have severely impacted residents, especially during the intense summer heat.
Nepra noted that the electricity shortages are deepening hardships for the population of Pakistan’s largest commercial city, contributing to deteriorating law and order conditions and disrupting business activities. The regulator observed a decline in K-Electric’s overall performance, including rising transmission and distribution losses and a decrease in the percentage of loadshedding-free areas from 76 percent to 70 percent — lower than some public sector distribution companies.
One of the key aims of K-Electric’s privatisation was to improve operational efficiency and ensure consistent power supply. Nepra warned that the company’s current performance undermines these goals and raises doubts about its commitment and capability to meet its responsibilities.
The regulator pointed out that K-Electric has increasingly depended on cheaper electricity supplied by the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), which could provide up to 1,600 megawatts at lower costs. However, K-Electric has not fully utilised this available capacity and continues to enforce extended loadshedding, depriving consumers of affordable power.
Nepra also criticised the utility for operating some of its generation plants at partial load while maintaining power outages. This practice reduces fuel efficiency, increases costs, and places an additional financial burden on consumers.
The regulator stressed that distribution companies like K-Electric must focus on reducing transmission and distribution losses and improving revenue recovery through efficient management and modern controls. It condemned the use of feeder shutdowns to control losses or force payments, describing such actions as unjustifiable and harmful to consumers who comply with regulations.
Nepra’s intervention underscores mounting concerns over K-Electric’s management and the urgent need for improvements to protect consumers and Karachi’s economy from further damage.
