ISLAMABAD (The COW News Digital) The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a fine of Rs140 million on three state-owned electricity distribution companies for poor performance during the fiscal year 2023–24.
According to an official statement issued by NEPRA, penalties were placed on the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO). The regulatory body cited overbilling, inaccurate reporting, and failure to improve recovery performance as the main reasons behind the hefty fines.
The investigation found multiple instances of billing irregularities, including charges beyond actual consumption, delayed rectification of customer complaints, and non-compliance with NEPRA’s performance standards. These violations, the authority stated, directly affected consumers and reflected systemic inefficiencies within the companies’ operational management.
NEPRA further noted that despite repeated directives to address these shortcomings, the companies failed to bring meaningful improvements in customer service, system losses, and recovery ratios. As a result, the regulator decided to impose financial penalties to enforce accountability within the distribution network.
Each company has been given 15 days to deposit the fine into the national treasury, as per regulatory procedures. NEPRA emphasized that these penalties are part of a broader strategy to ensure transparency, curb consumer exploitation, and promote efficiency within Pakistan’s electricity distribution system.
“The purpose of these fines is not merely punitive but corrective,” the NEPRA spokesperson said. “We aim to push all power distribution companies toward better governance, accurate billing, and timely redressal of consumer grievances.”
Pakistan’s power sector has long faced public criticism over overbilling, technical losses, and poor customer service, with many consumers complaining about inflated bills and delayed responses to power outage issues. The fines mark yet another attempt by the regulatory body to tighten oversight over state-run utilities, which serve millions of households across the country.
Industry experts believe that unless the government introduces structural reforms and ensures greater autonomy for distribution companies, such penalties may have only temporary impact.
This move by NEPRA comes amid growing public frustration over rising power tariffs and frequent load-shedding, issues that have become politically sensitive ahead of the upcoming energy sector reforms.
