Fesco faces Nepra's wrath for violating power safety codes

• Fesco failed to install earthing on HT, LT poles: power regulator.
• Show-cause notice to be served to Disco over unsatisfactory reply. 
• Fesco responses on safety practices “far away from ground realities”.

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has decided to issue a show-cause notice to the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) for exhibiting negligence towards earthing of high-tension (HT) and low-tension (LT) poles.

The power regulator will also take legal action against Faisalabad’s distribution company over failure to install earthing on poles that could lead to fatal accidents, an official document read.

Despite Fesco’s assurances to comply with standards to stop power leakage and adopt safety practices, Nepra observed that the power firm’s responses were “far away from ground realities”.

The lack of safety standards resulted in five electrocution incidents in 2020-21 six in 2021-22 and four in 2023.

The authority found contradictions in Fesco’s clarifications as the steel structures for grounding of electricity poles “has become ineffective due to deterioration and change of moisture contents at the sites over the passage of time”.

Meanwhile, Nepra also decided to issue a show-cause notice to the Disco for failing to provide a satisfactory reply to its queries.

Last month, the country's top power regulatory authority had decided to initiate legal action against K-Electric (KE) and other power-providing companies after it was found that they were charging millions of consumers excessively.

The authority had taken “very serious” notice of the complaints that were reported from all over Pakistan regarding excessive, inflated, and wrong bills charged by the distribution companies to the consumers during two months — July and August.

It had constituted a committee to probe into the matter of excessive billing issues.

Nepra also directed Discos to initiate proceedings against officials concerned for violation of provisions of the Consumer Service Manual and other applicable documents as per their service rules on account of carrying out such illegal practices and submit a compliance report within 30 days.