Press Release, Hyderabad, January 30, 2026: The meeting of the Standing Committee on Power Division was held today at 11:30 a.m. in the Committee Room of HESCO, Power Wing Colony, Hyderabad, under the chairmanship of Mr. Muhammad Idrees, MNA. The Honourable Chairman welcomed the Honourable Members of the Committee and other participants from various departments, including the Additional Secretary, Power Division, Islamabad.

The agenda of the meeting included a comprehensive briefing on the performance of HESCO and SEPCO during the last three years; details of electricity projects initiated by the said companies during the same period; a review of the electricity supply situation within the jurisdictions of HESCO and SEPCO; an examination of factors contributing to high transmission and distribution losses, including electricity theft, illegal connections, meter tampering, and weaknesses in enforcement mechanisms; and a review of the income and expenditure of the companies and their impact on circular debt.

Detailed presentations were made by HESCO and SEPCO on the aforementioned agenda. At the outset, the report of the Sub-Committee constituted by the Standing Committee in its meeting held on December 24, 2025, was presented before the Committee. The Committee unanimously approved the report and directed that a meeting be convened in the near future, inviting all concerned stakeholders to resolve issues relating to outstanding electricity dues recoverable from departments of the Government of Sindh, and to separately identify amounts disowned or under dispute, in line with the recommendations of the Sub-Committee.

Syed Waseem Hussain, MNA, apprised the Committee that the issue of recoverable amounts against the departments of the Government of Sindh could be resolved if the Minister for Power Division, Secretary Power Division, Chief Secretary Government of Sindh, Secretaries of Finance, Irrigation, and Energy Departments, Government of Sindh, and the CEOs of HESCO and SEPCO attend a dedicated meeting to make appropriate recommendations for resolving these long-standing issues and committee was agreed with the proposal of the said MNA.

The Committee directed the Finance, Irrigation, and Energy Departments of the Government of Sindh to ensure payment of the reconciled amounts to HESCO and SEPCO. The CEO, SEPCO, who was present in the meeting, appreciated the recommendations of the Committee.

The CEO, HESCO, informed the Committee that four circles are currently operating under HESCO, with 79 grid stations, in addition to 10 grid stations installed by industrialists in the area. The total MVA capacity of these grid stations is 3,380.50. He further apprised that recovery from private consumers had improved during the last six months at 10.2%, while losses during the same period were reduced by 2.17% of total losses. Electricity theft issues, he added, are being addressed with the support of the DISCO Support Unit. The performance report in above regard has also been presented to the Minister, Power Division. He further stated that targets related to recovery and loss reduction have been enhanced as compared to previous periods, in line with targets determined by the Power Division and NEPRA. Loadshedding of electricity have been reduced at the level of 0% against 32 feeders presently functioning under the HESCO, he added. 

The CEO, SEPCO, apprised the Committee that SEPCO is operating in 10 districts through 9 circles, with a total distribution network of 38,344 km, comprising 606 feeders, 30 divisions, 98 sub-divisions, and 69 grid stations. He further informed that work on four grid stations is underway in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. He highlighted that inadequate human resource induction remains a major challenge in improving SEPCO’s performance, particularly in controlling losses, and requested urgent resolution of the matter. He also informed that the Power Division has allowed recruitment on an outsourcing basis. At present, SEPCO has a sanctioned strength of 9,554 employees, with 3,552 vacant posts. The CEO, SEPCO, further apprised that limited staff availability restricts access to remote areas for controlling electricity pilferage; however, during FY 2025–26, recovery increased by 12.4%. Syed Waseem Hussain, MNA, inquired whether the deployment of Rangers and FIA in distribution companies had yielded any tangible benefits. The CEO, SEPCO, responded that no significant benefit had been observed from the deployment of FIA.

The Committee further recommended that vacant posts in distribution companies be filled in accordance with the policy of the Power Division and operational requirements of the companies, and emphasized that progress in this regard be presented in the next meeting. The Committee also recommended that minimum wages be ensured for employees currently working in distribution companies and inducted on outsource basis. Syed Waseem Hussain, MNA, stated that the performance of HESCO is satisfactory and that it should not be privatized. He further suggested that the operations of K-Electric Karachi be examined by two companies instead of one.

The meeting was attended in person by Syed Waseem Hussain, Syed Abrar Ali Shah, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, MNAs, while Chaudhary Naseer Ahmed Abbas attended via video link. The Additional Secretary, Power Division, the CEOs of SEPCO and HESCO, senior officers of PPMC, and other concerned officials were also present.