Qesco on top of list with Rs75.6b less recoveries.

ISLAMABAD  -  Ex-Wapda Distribution Com­panies (XWDISCOs) have caused a loss of over Rs 838 billion to the national exche­quer/consumers on account of transmission distribution losses and under recoveries during the previous fiscal year.

Four Punjab based Discos topped the list with Rs 309.14 billion losses, on account of transmission and distribu­tion losses and under recov­eries, followed by two Discos of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Rs 206.76 billion, two Discos of Sindh Rs 141.96 billion and one Disco of Balochistan with Rs 121.76 billion, official doc­uments available with The Nation reveal. The losses of over Rs 838 billion include Rs 533.52 billion of transmission and distribution losses on ac­count of losses/theft and ap­proximately Rs 305 billion on account of under recoveries.

Discos in Punjab have bur­dened the consumers and na­tional exchequer with Rs 309.14 billion on account of losses and under recov­eries. There were trans­mission and distribution losses of Rs 217.14 billion and Rs 92 billion on ac­count of under recoveries. As per the documents, Le­sco has incurred 11.29 per­cent losses against the tar­get of 8.07 percent which has an impact of Rs 76.43 billion, Gepco incurred 8.01 percent losses hav­ing an impact of Rs 32.07 billion, Fesco 8.59 percent having an impact of Rs 42.95 billion, Mepco 14.22 percent having an impact of Rs 65.69 billion, Pesco 37.40 percent with an im­pact of Rs 168.59 billion, Hesco 27.48 percent hav­ing an impact of Rs 46.540 billion, Qesco 26.72 per­cent with an impact of Rs 46.16 billion, Sepco 34.39 percent having an impact of Rs 40.62 billion billion, Tesco 9.02 percent having an impact of Rs 4.87 bil­lion, while Iesco incurred losses 8.05 percent loss with an impact of Rs 9.3 billion. On less recoveries, Qesco is on the top of the list with Rs 75.6 billion less recoveries, followed by Le­sco Rs 32 billion, Hesco 28 billion, Pesco and Sepco Rs 31 billion respectively, Me­pco 21 billion, Fesco 18 bil­lion, Tesco Rs 7.1 billion, and Gepco Rs 6.8 billion. Interestingly, AJK comes under the service area of Iesco but the government documents showed it sep­arately with Rs 41 billion under recoveries. Discos have incurred 16.45 per­cent transmission and dis­tribution losses in 2022-23, which were 4.64 percent higher than the Nepra allowed 11.81 per­cent. The under recoveries are not being charged from the consumers and are transferred to the circu­lar debt. While losses have two types, one is the Nepra allowed target for losses, while the other is over and above the Nepra’s allowed target. The losses with­in Nepra approved tar­get is being transferred to the electricity consumers, while those over and above the target are being added into circular debt. In 2022-23, Discos incurred trans­mission and distribution losses of Rs 533.52 billion, out of which Rs 353.52 bil­lion is within the target lim­it, and will be charged from the consumers in their electricity bills, while the remaining Rs 160 billion, which are over and above the Nepra approved target, will be added to the circu­lar debt. In 2022-23, two Discos in Punjab including Gepco and FESCO incurred losses less than Nepra tar­get. However, even then it has incurred over 8 per­cent losses, which will be transferred to the electric­ity consumers.