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Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has issued a show-cause notice to K-Electric (KE) for failing to follow regulatory instructions regarding load shedding, even though such curtailments are allowed under federal government policy.
Dated June 23, the notice came on the same day the Power Division blocked a proposed relief of Rs 4.69 per unit for Karachi consumers under the April 2025 Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) mechanism.
NEPRA stated that all power distribution companies are required to maintain detailed load shedding plans that allow them to disconnect up to 30% of their connected load when directed by the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC). These plans must divide the load into clearly defined, switchable blocks and must also be shared with NTDC.
The regulator emphasized that NTDC must communicate load reduction instructions in a clear and timely manner, helping maintain the stability of the national grid by preserving voltage and frequency standards under the Grid Code.
This is not the first time NEPRA has flagged KE’s practices. Back in January, the authority had already issued an explanation notice to the utility under the NEPRA (Fine) Regulations 2021, citing non-compliance. According to NEPRA, KE has continued to carry out load shedding based on Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses, which includes areas affected by power theft and bill defaults. This approach, NEPRA says, unfairly punishes paying customers by shutting down entire feeders—despite some consumers being fully compliant.
Following a full legal process, NEPRA slapped a Rs 50 million fine on KE, maintaining that such load management should only be done at the Pole Mounted Transformer (PMT) level and only under system operator instructions—particularly in cases of generation shortfall or transmission constraints.
KE had earlier claimed to have invested Rs 600 million in a project launched in 2021 for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Automated Meter Reading (AMR) at the transformer level. These smart meters were supposed to help identify loss-prone areas and enable remote disconnection where needed. Although the project was completed in December 2021, with a test run through mid-2022, NEPRA observed that KE had mainly used the system for commercial gains and not to offer relief to paying consumers by ensuring localized and fair load shedding.
Karachi residents, during various NEPRA public hearings on FCA, echoed similar grievances—reporting excessive and indiscriminate power cuts that further strengthened the regulator’s stance.
Meanwhile, Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari has maintained that forced load shedding will continue in high-loss areas of all distribution companies, including KE.
Responding to NEPRA’s latest move, a KE spokesperson said, “We are currently reviewing the show-cause notice issued by NEPRA. A formal response will be submitted after a detailed internal review, within the timeline provided by the authority.”
