K-Electric has proposed a new strategy aimed at ending electricity load-shedding in Karachi.
CEO Moonis Alvi revealed during a meeting with the Council of Economic and Energy Journalists (CEJ) that 300 out of the city’s 2,129 feeders are responsible for a staggering 87% of power losses, which significantly contributes to ongoing blackouts.
“If the government takes over these 300 feeders and manages the internal electricity distribution in these areas, K-Electric will be much closer to making Karachi load-shedding-free,” Alvi explained.
He emphasized that while KE is ready to supply electricity to these areas, it would be up to the government to recover payments from local consumers.
Alvi noted that currently, 70% of the city experiences no load-shedding and highlighted that KE is implementing modern technology to curb electricity theft.
He also cautioned that tampering with Pole-Mounted Transformers (PMTs) can cause technical issues that might take up to three days to repair.
KE has offered to assist the government in managing power systems in these challenging areas.
In addition, Alvi spoke about K-Electric’s Multi-Year Tariff (MYT), stating it won’t negatively affect average consumers but will instead help attract foreign investment into Karachi’s energy infrastructure.
“The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority will review the MYT each year based on the level of investment,” he added.
According to Alvi, the full implementation of MYT could help make 90% of Karachi free from load-shedding by 2030. By then, the city is projected to have five million electricity users and a power transmission capacity of 5,000MW.
He also mentioned that KE is prepared to provide electricity to captive power industries by linking them to the grid, adding that growing industrial activity in the city has led to a higher demand for electricity.
KE, he said, is committed to sticking to its agreed timeline with the government and industry stakeholders for this transition.