ISLAMABAD: The K-Electric on Thursday came under criticism for extended hours of power cuts in Karachi at a public hearing presided over by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) chairman Waseem Mukhtar.

Nepra member from Sindh Rafique A Shaikh also criticised the utility for prolonged outages in the city on the pretext of losses and theft.

The hearing was conducted on KE request for partial benefit of negative fuel cost adjustment (FCA) instead of Rs5.02 per unit actually due for electricity consumed in March.

The KE had in its petition reported a Rs5.02 per unit lower fuel cost amounting to Rs6.8 billion than it had already charged its consumers in April billing month against March consumption.

It, however, requested Nepra not to pass on the entire benefit to consumers and instead set aside partial benefit to clear its past claims.

Tanveer Barry, a representative of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, opposed the KE and said: “If this adjustment is approved, the full benefit of FCA will not pass on to consumers.”

He alleged that with the start of summer Karachi was facing severe loadshedding and demanded the regulator to impose heavy penalties on KE and take other necessary actions to provide relief to the consumers from load shedding.

KE CEO Moonis Alvi said that power cuts to areas with illegal connections and low recoveries did take place but no more than three hours.

The regulator will issue a decision later.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025