Pesco, the Peshawar Electric Supply Company, was at the top of all power distributors in the nation when it came to line losses, recording an amount of Rs64 billion in 2021-22 according to data from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.
The Performance Evaluation Report issued by Nepra painted a dismal picture for Pesco on most performance criteria such as transmission and dispatch losses, recovery rate, safety standards, power outages, and load shedding.
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The report revealed that Pesco had failed to meet the regulator’s objective of limiting transmission and dispatch losses to 21.33%, as they remained at 37.23%. This resulted in an estimated Rs64 billion loss for the year, making it the highest among all Discos. Furthermore, instead of improving, Pesco and other distribution companies’ lack of performance contributed to an increase in overall losses.
The report highlighted that the collection of electricity bills was a key factor in boosting electric supply and had an immense impact on the financial well-being of distribution companies. According to guidelines set by the power regulator, these companies are expected to achieve a 100% collection rate. Despite this, Pesco’s recovery rate was over 92%, leaving them short of their target by Rs 18 billion.
Pesco was among the poorest performers regarding the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI), which is the number of times customers experience power outages in a year. Pesco’s SAIFI score was 188.92, far exceeding the 13 set by power regulators and topping all other distribution companies.
Additionally, it was also at the apex of discos with the worst performance when it comes to the system average interruption duration index (SAIDI), which is the total amount of time consumers lose electricity in a given year.
Pesco’s SAIDI statistic was significantly higher than the 14 minutes mandated by the regulator. Additionally, on a daily basis, Pesco experienced six hours of load-shedding. Unfortunately, the regulator questioned the accuracy of these figures as they did not reflect actual conditions.
Furthermore, Pesco was one of the worst performing companies when it came to safety standards and had suffered 39 fatalities involving 10 personnel and 29 civilians.
The sources revealed that the company held a mere 0.7 percent of its total consumers in comparison to Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company, and Lahore Electric Supply Company.
They stated that the industry had significantly reduced its loss figures in percentage terms. Additionally, they said that although the company was registered as a corporate entity, it followed the HR techniques of Wapda from 1958. Furthermore, they indicated that Pesco was constantly growing without any suitable planning and with politicians taking charge of most decisions.
Also, check the PESCO bill calculator.