ISLAMABAD: Pakistan power sector’s Transmission & Distribution (T&D) losses have risen to Rs520.3 billion with the highest-ever deficit incurred in the Peshawar Electric Power Supply Company (PESCO) to the tune of Rs153.8 billion, in just one financial year.
The cash bleeding power sector’s accumulated losses have crossed the defence spending of the country in the last two financial years, and there seems no sigh of relief for masses without undertaking basic and fundamental reforms.
The question arises why the board members of these loss-making Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) are not being appointed on merit? The answer is because such appointments are used as a tool for doling out benefits to politically motivated favourites instead of making decisions on merit.
According to the official data available with The News, total purchased units were 130,158 Gigawatt hours (GWh), out of which sold units stood at 107,860 units; so the lost units stood at 22,298 units of GWh in financial year 2021-22. The target losses of T&D envisage at 13.41 per cent, but actual losses went up to 17.13 per cent in financial year 2021-22.
PESCO purchased 16,560 units of GWh of electricity and sold 10,355 units, so the lost units stood at 6,205 of GWh. Losses of PESCO stand at 37.47 per cent and those went up to Rs153.8 billion in money terms in the current fiscal year. The losses of Tribal Electric Power Company (TESCO) stand at 9.33 per cent and at Rs3.7 billion in money terms. Total purchased units stood at 2,284 units and sold units 2,071, so the lost units of electricity estimated at 213 of GWh.
The losses of Islamabad Electric Power Company (IESCO) stand at 8.18 per cent, which caused losses of Rs21.9 billion in money terms. The total purchased units stood at 13,027 and sold units were 11,961, so the lost units of electricity were estimated at 1,066 units of GWh.
The Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) losses stand at 9.07 per cent to the tune of Rs24.7 billion.
The Lahore Electric Power Supply Company (LESCO) losses stand at 11.52 per cent, which is equivalent to Rs72.7 billion. The lost units in case of LESCO are estimated at 3,264 units of GWh in the fiscal year 2021-22.
The losses of Faisalabad Electric Power Company (LESCO) stand at Rs33.4 billion, equivalent to 9.1 per cent. The losses of Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) stood at higher side, amounting to Rs75.1 billion. The losses of MEPCO stand at 14.84 per cent.
The losses of Hyderabad Electric Power Supply Company (HESCO) have gone down from 38.55 per cent in 2020-21 to 32.88 per cent in 2021-22 and in financial term stood at Rs45 billion.
The losses of Sukkur Power Supply Company (SEPCO) remained unchanged and stood at 35.27 per cent in 2020-21 and 35.62 per cent in 2021-22. In financial terms, the losses of SEPCO stand at Rs43.7 billion.
The losses of Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) stood at 28.07 per cent and in financial terms escalated to Rs46.3 billion in financial year 2021-22.
