High fuel adjustment charges: LESCO takes up matter with Nepra

The Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) has taken up the matter of high fuel adjustment charges with National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), as the distribution company is the highest revenue generating DISCO while its line losses are at the lowest ebb, as compared with other distribution companies in the country.
Chief Executive LESCO Sharafat Ali Sayyal stated this while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce on Monday. Responding to the LCCI demand of ending load-shedding, the LECSO chief announced to put an end to load-shedding for the entire industrial sector. "From now onwards the industry will not face forced loadshedding," he said.
Sayyal said that the industry was his priority and he was taking all possible steps to facilitate the business community in general and the industrial sector in particular. He also told the LCCI members that long-awaited New Kahna Grid Station and Transmission Line Project has been commissioned.
He said that to stop the electricity pilferage, the LESCO has adopted the policy of stick-and-carrot and all the LESCO men found involved in this heinous crime would be given exemplary punishments while those who are doing good work would be rewarded. He said that a quarterly review would be carried out in this regard. The LESCO management committee in which private sector representation is involved to make certain decision with regard to sector-wise load management would also be activated as soon as the LCCI forwards names for the committee. He said that LCCI-LESCO Dispute Resolution Committee would also be activated as soon as the LCCI forwards names for the committee. President LCCI Irfan Qaiser Sheikh drew the attention of LESCO Chief towards the ever-mounting energy crises, which are causing sufferings to all the segments of society. He said that the power outages not only halt the production process but also increase the cost of production because shifting to generators fuelled by diesel is hardly affordable to anyone.
He said that the price of electricity had been increased by 72 percent in the span of four to five months. It seems that the high-ups only know this way to manage the demand and supply of electricity. Whereas no serious attention is being paid to efficiently manage the load management and also explore the other economical ways of generating electricity. The LESCO still needed to do a lot to minimise the line losses, reduce the distribution losses and control the pilferage that is done by some unscrupulous elements. LESCO's overall distribution losses amount to 11 percent, which are much lesser than the losses of other DISCOs where situation is very pathetic. PESCO's distribution losses are roughly upto 35 percent followed by KESC at around 40 percent plus, HESCO at around 40 percent, QESCO at around 25 percent, he asserted.
The unfair outcome of these factors is that the genuine and fair-minded users have to bear the brunt. He urged the LESCO chief to ensure the electricity rates are determined as per the performance and efficiency of the particular DISCO. "Why the cost of inefficiency of certain DISCOs is to be borne by those areas or users whose DISCOs are comparatively efficient, he added.
The president LCCI said that the LESCO should strictly follow the schedule of loadshedding in Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate, Ferozepur Road Industrial Estate, Kattar Bund Road Industrial Estate and some associations especially Steel Re-rolling Association, Plastic Bags & Sheets Manufacturers Association as any deviation from the schedule to create problems for them as they can neither meet the production targets nor can bear the extra cost because of running heavy generators.
He said that there were some areas in Lahore like Daroghawala and Mehmood Booti Bund Road where industrial feeders needed to be separated from residential feeders. Due to tripping and un-scheduled loadshedding, the industrial units face a lot of problems. LCCI former Presidents Mian Anjum Nisar and Mian Misbahur Rehman also spoke on the occasion.