PM Shehbaz orders transparency in electricity billing

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed authorities concerned to ensure transparency in the electricity billing system and called for concrete steps to prevent electricity theft.

Chairinga review meeting on the performance of Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs), the prime minister also passed directives to complete the installation of smart meters at the earliest.

The meeting mainly discussed the affairs of Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO), and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

During the meeting, the prime minister said that the overbilling was unacceptable and strict action would be taken against officers involved in such practices.

PM Shehbaz expressed concern over the delay in the appointment process of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the distribution companies and directed for ensuring CEOs’ appointments through a highly transparent process and asked for its completion at the earliest.

Recruitment of workforce in distribution companies should be merit-based, with no compromise on transparency, he further added.

The prime minister said that all the available resources should be utilized to meet the targets of NEPRA.

Minister for Economic Affairs Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Power Division Sardar Owais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ali Pervez Malik, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ahsan Afzal, and senior government officials attended the meeting.

According to the data presented, LESCO achieved a recovery rate of 96.82% up to November of the current fiscal year (2024-25), while PESCO and FESCO recorded recovery rates of 87.98% and 97.57%, respectively.

However, the transmission and distribution losses for the same period painted a different picture, with LESCO reporting losses of 13.04%, PESCO at 33%, and FESCO at 6.01%.

The meeting also discussed the progress of smart meter installations in these companies. LESCO has installed 49,470 out of 223,365 three-phase smart meters, while PESCO has installed 51,173 out of 152,559 smart meters. FESCO, however, has installed only 11,276 out of 192,311 smart meters.

LESCO, PESCO, and FESCO offered consumers’ facilities for complaint resolution and other services via call centers, emails, websites, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, and NEPRA’s mobile and web services.

Moreover, free access to the 118 helpline from all mobile operators was being ensured for complaints related to electricity transmission, it was further added.

The complaint resolution (up to November) stood at:- LESCO: 99.2%, PESCO: 99.9% and FESCO: 99.7%