NEPRA orders K-Electric to end load-shedding

Very-high-loss feeders, serving about 1.18m consumers, record average daily outages of 12 hours, 14 minutes

ISLAMABAD:

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has ordered K-Electric to immediately stop unannounced, unscheduled and excessive load shedding in Karachi and banned the utility from cutting power to entire feeders on the basis of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses, saying the practice unlawfully penalises paying consumers.

The power regulator issued the prohibitory order after finding that K-Electric had continued excessive and discriminatory outages despite an earlier Rs50 million penalty for similar violations.

The case arose from a growing number of consumer complaints during Nepra's monthly fuel price adjustment hearings, prompting the regulator to investigate K-Electric's load-shedding practices.

Nepra found that the utility was relying on a self-styled AT&C-loss policy that has no legal recognition and was also exceeding its own declared outage schedules.

The regulator analysed data from 620 feeders serving nearly 2.37 million consumers and found that actual outages frequently exceeded K-Electric's own limits. Very-high-loss feeders, serving about 1.18 million consumers, recorded average daily outages of 12 hours and 14 minutes against a 10-hour scheduled limit, while 91.1 per cent of those feeders exceeded the limit.

For high-loss feeders, average outages reached 10 hours and 39 minutes, with 81.9 per cent exceeding the 10-hour limit. Medium-loss feeders also breached their six-hour limit, with 68.4% of feeders recording outages of six hours or more.

Nepra said electricity curtailment is legally permissible only for technical constraints, system emergencies, generation shortfalls or transmission-related reasons under the applicable rules. Commercial considerations, revenue recovery and loss minimization do not provide legal grounds for load shedding.

Under its order, Nepra directed K-Electric to stop AT&C-loss-based feeder-level load shedding and ensure that paying consumers are not deprived of electricity because of theft or defaults by others. It also ordered targeted enforcement, including individual disconnections of defaulters and electricity thieves, intensified anti-theft drives and installation of aerial bundled cables in high-loss areas.

K-Electric must submit a time-bound plan for installing aerial bundled cables within 30 days and a comprehensive compliance report within the same period, the power regulator said.

Nepra noted that collective punishment of consumers was incompatible with the utility's legal obligation to provide electricity on a non-discriminatory basis.

Commenting on the matter, KE spokesperson said, "K-Electric has taken note of the Nepra Authority's order and is currently reviewing its contents in detail. The Company will submit its response within the stipulated timeframe. K-Electric remains engaged with the regulatory authority on the matter."