Islamabad (The COW News Digital) The federal government has decided to reduce electricity load shedding in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) experiencing high power losses and prolonged outages, in a move aimed at providing relief to residents and building public trust.
The decision was taken following a meeting at the Power Division held on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address electricity-related challenges in the province.
Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and the federal petroleum minister attended the meeting. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Chief Secretary KP Dr Fakhr Alam Irfan and other senior officials were also present.
During the meeting, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi requested a reduction in load shedding in areas facing significant electricity losses and extended power outages.
The federal government accepted the request as a goodwill measure intended to provide relief to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It decided to increase the duration of electricity supply in areas where power losses remain high and load shedding is prolonged.
Federal Energy Minister Awais Leghari urged consumers to respond positively to the government’s initiative by paying their electricity bills on time.
He stressed that the timely payment of electricity dues and the elimination of power theft were essential for ensuring an uninterrupted electricity supply.
The minister said that improving bill recovery and preventing electricity theft would play a critical role in making the relief initiative sustainable.
The meeting also discussed the implementation of a transformer-based load management system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the energy minister, the province is moving towards an Advanced Power Management System (APMS), under which the traditional practice of shutting down entire feeders for load management would be discontinued.
Under the proposed system, electricity load management would instead be carried out at the transformer level. This approach is expected to allow more targeted management of power supply and reduce the impact of outages on areas that are not directly affected by high losses.
The new system could also help improve electricity distribution by limiting shutdowns to specific transformers rather than entire feeders.
Officials discussed measures to provide sustainable relief to consumers across the province. The meeting agreed that coordination between the federal government and provincial leadership would continue to address electricity-related concerns.
The government’s decision comes amid longstanding complaints from residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regarding excessive load shedding, particularly in areas with high electricity losses and poor bill recovery.
While the increase in electricity supply duration is being introduced as a goodwill measure, officials have emphasised that consumer cooperation will be important for its continuation.
The government has highlighted timely bill payments and efforts to eliminate power theft as key requirements for improving electricity supply and reducing load management problems.
Further coordination between federal and provincial authorities is expected to focus on implementing the transformer-based system and ensuring lasting relief for consumers in the province.
