Strong investor interest received for GEPCO privatization

The Privatization Commission of Pakistan says it has received expressions of interest from 11 investors for the sale of a controlling stake in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO).

The investors, from Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, are seeking to acquire between 51 percent and 100 percent of GEPCO’s shares, along with management control.

The list includes Turkish energy companies Aktor Elektrik Enerji Yatırımları, Genvera Enerji and Cengiz Enerji, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Al Sharif Contracting and Commercial Development Company.

Several major Pakistani business groups have also expressed interest, including Engro Energy, Sapphire Fibers, Hub Power Holdings and Lucky Cement, Shirazi Investments, Artistic Milliners and Fatima Group, K-Electric, and a consortium of AKD Securities, Fast Cable and Mughal Steel.

The Privatization Commission said the expressions of interest were submitted on Friday, 21  August 2026, the closing date for the first stage of the process.

Muhammad Ali, adviser to the prime minister on privatization and chairman of the Privatization Commission, described the response as an important milestone in the government’s efforts to reform Pakistan’s electricity distribution sector.

He said the strong investor interest reflected confidence in the potential of the sector and in the government’s commitment to a transparent and competitive privatization process.

The submitted documents will now be assessed against the government’s prequalification criteria.

Applicants meeting the prescribed requirements will be prequalified and invited to the next stage of the transaction, where they will be granted access to the Virtual Data Room (VDR) to undertake detailed buy-side due diligence.

GEPCO is among the three electricity distribution companies in DISCOs Batch-I, alongside Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) and Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).

The deadline for submission of EOIs for IESCO is 7th September 2026, while EOIs from twelve (12) interested parties were received for FESCO by the deadline of 7th August, 2026.

The Privatization Commission remains committed to an open, transparent and competitive privatization process, undertaken in the public interest and in support of the Federal Government’s wider power-sector reform agenda.