Pesco to privatize over 18 high-losses feeders in four districts

Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) would soon privatize more than 18 high-losses feeders in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Khyber circle. Speaking a news conference at Wapda house here on Saturday, the company Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Shabbir Ahmad Jilani said the Pesco is going to outsource high-losses 18 feeders in Peshawar, Bannu, Shabqadar, Hazara and Khyber circle within next two-weeks wherein power theft was high and recovery of dues was low.
He said the company is taking measures to overcome with loadshedding. He said the zero-loadshedding on more than 309 feeders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the company was carrying out loadshedding in only those areas where consumers are not paying out their bills.
He informed that the electricity loadshedding is being carried out for two-hours in 10 to 20 per cent losses areas, whereas 12-hours power outages on those feeders, which are running 80 per cent losses. He said the company has incurred an additional loss of Rs 5bn due power theft in the province. He said that a campaign was launched to recover Rs 10bn from more than 3.2 million consumers.
CEO expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the selected police stations, which have carrying out joint crackdown against power thefts. He said the company had so far spent Rs 214mn on three police stations, while it had recovered Rs 600mn. He said the around 500 megawatts electricity is required to supply in Swat, but currently 150 mega watts were supplying from the system.
The CEO said the loadshedding is being carried out in provincial metropolis Peshawar due to work on Bus Rapid Transport project. He said KP is receiving 1600 megawatts electricity from national grid as per its requirement. He said the duration of electricity loadshedding has been decreased by following the directives of Federal Minister for Water and Power, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari.
He said the company is being faced a loss of Rs 91bn due to outstanding dues against federal and provincial departments as well as commercial, agriculture, and industrial consumers. Shabbir Jilani said the Pesco is supplying electricity to more than 3.2mn consumers through 972 feeders across the province.