Nepra conducts public hearing on KE investment plan 2023/30

KARACHI: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has conducted a public hearing on KE’s seven-year investment plan in transmission and distribution, a statement said.

The hearing was held in Islamabad with many attendees joining virtually, as well. The KE management shared details of the plan and projects being undertaken over the period from FY24 to FY30, valued at approximately Rs484 billion.

While responding to the comments from the audience, the KE leadership said that the investment plan has been conceived with a vision to balance affordability, availability and sustainability of the power supply.

It aligns with the developments in the power sector, including the implementation of the competitive markets framework and the culmination of exclusivity for power distribution companies.

In this regard, the KE filed for a non-exclusive licence with the regulator late in December 2022.

The hearing was attended by a wide range of stakeholders representing industries and community leaders alike.

The key themes discussed were the projects being undertaken to drive growth and reliability in the KE’s transmission and distribution network, the projected growth in demand within the utility’s operational territory and planned technological interventions to further improve the quality and reliability of the service.

The participants also shared their comments on the KE’s performance since its privatisation. Queries included the Karachi-based electric utility’s future investments, including making power affordable for all, incentivising the foreign and local stakeholders to further invest in the power sector, while others shared that the company’s services have improved since the company’s privatisation.

The participants also suggested keeping ground realities in mind when setting the future transmission and distribution losses and recoveries targets to ensure a sustainable power supply to the city.

While expressing gratitude to the Nepra and the participants for sharing their valued thoughts, the K-Electric spokesperson said: “Our investment plan has been developed to meet the future needs of our growing customer base. We anticipate that in 2030, our customer base will grow from 3.4 million today to approximately 5 million and the consumption forecast will be around 5,000MW. This requires meticulous planning and targeted investment. Based on over 13 years of experience of serving the city, the K-Electric remains committed to providing reliable and affordable electricity to its customers.”

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KARACHI: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) conducted a public hearing...