Islamabad:
An official informed the permanent committee of the energy division on Thursday that the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) and the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) had suffered losses of around 60 billion rupees in one year due to non-recovery and techniques problems.
The 10th Committee meeting was chaired by Muhammad Idrees. The members examined the question of discriminatory load shedding by Hesco and the refusal of basic rights of public services to paying consumers, raised by the MNA Syed Hussain Tariq.
Tariq clarified that his criticisms were addressed to the company’s policies and structural weaknesses, not to its CEO or its staff. He highlighted the fate of consumers in Hyderabad apartments and areas such as Sadar, where residents pay their bills excluding prolonged breakdowns.
Several members have urged the division of power and Hesco to prioritize structural reforms instead of short -term correction.
The secretary of the power division informed the committee that Hesco had submitted an investment plan to NEPRA in November 2024 to modernize the feeders and strengthen the transmission network. The Committee ordered that the NEPRA is invited to the next meeting to clarify its position on the plan and related regulatory approvals.
The secretary suggested that Hesco revises and submitting his plan so that the comments of NEPRA on progress and gaps can be presented to the committee. He also proposed to convene a detailed meeting on Hesco and Sepco in his office within 10 to 12 days, once the flood situation has relaxed, the CEOs present. If progress turned out to be unsatisfactory, he said, a clear report would be required. The committee approved the proposal and ordered that the CEO of Sepco is also summoned.
The Committee also examined the Jam Nawaz Ali grid station project in the Sanghar district. Officials informed that 90% of the work had been completed, with a single tower while waiting for approval of the NTDC. The committee ordered the NTDC to eliminate the case so that the grid can be ordered by October as promised.
