The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has declared K-Electric’s load shedding based on feeder losses illegal, directing the power utility to immediately stop unannounced power outages.
According to NEPRA’s decision, consumers who regularly pay their electricity bills cannot be deprived of electricity because of high losses recorded on their feeders. The regulator stated that compliant consumers should not be penalized for electricity theft or non-payment by other customers.
NEPRA directed K-Electric to take targeted action against electricity theft instead of shutting down entire feeders.
The power utility has been instructed to disconnect individual connections of consumers found involved in electricity theft or persistent non-payment, rather than subjecting all consumers connected to a feeder to load shedding.
The regulator also observed that K-Electric had failed to make significant changes to its operational practices despite having previously faced a fine over the issue.
To address technical and commercial losses, NEPRA has ordered K-Electric to install Aerial Bundled Cables (ABC) and develop a comprehensive plan for their deployment.
The measure is intended to help reduce electricity theft and improve the reliability of the distribution network.
The decision comes amid increasing criticism over prolonged power outages in Karachi during the recent extreme heat.
MQM-P had accused K-Electric of causing severe hardship to residents, claiming that some areas were experiencing up to 14 hours of load shedding.
The party also raised concerns about K-Electric’s aging transmission infrastructure and alleged that high consumer billing had not been matched by sufficient investment in system upgrades.
NEPRA’s latest decision could require K-Electric to move away from feeder-wide load shedding and instead take targeted action against electricity theft and non-payment, providing relief to consumers who regularly pay their electricity bills.
