Electricity arrangements
by distribution company
PESCO (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & FATA)
Eid‑ul‑Azha 2025: PESCO officially promised no load shedding on Eid day between 7 AM–9 PM, with a two-hour relief on the evening before Eid (6 PM–12 AM). A dedicated control room and 24/7 staff monitoring were set up.
But some areas (especially non-cantonment/residential) still experienced outages despite the pledge, causing consumer backlash.
Ramadan (2025): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor ordered no unscheduled load shedding during Sehri and Iftar, with load-shedding on a pre-set schedule.
LESCO (Lahore region)
Eid‑ul‑Azha 2025: LESCO declared that there would be no electricity interruptions during the festival, with full staffing, extra transformer trolleys, and alert emergency teams.
Outside of festivals, they publish rotating load-shedding schedules by feeder code and send SMS alerts; emergency outages are tied to technical or loss/misuse events.
FESCO (Faisalabad region)
Eid‑ul‑Azha: FESCO declared zero load shedding across its 1,000+ feeders during Eid. Over 2,000 staff worked on-site, with circle-based monitoring and toll-free/WhatsApp complaint lines.
IESCO (Islamabad, Rawalpindi & surrounding areas)
No specific festival commitment found, but IESCO provides public load-shedding schedules online. Users check via the feeder code, and the mobile app/official site allows monitoring.
MEPCO (Multan region) & KE (Karachi Electric)
- No recent official festival‑specific announcements located.
Both are known to operate standard load management schedules, heavily influenced by line losses and electricity theft.
KE (Karachi), in particular, has faced strong criticism for punishing high-theft areas, with hours-long outages even during off-peak and winter months.
Festival Outlook Summary
| PESCO | No load-shedding 7 AM–9 PM (Eid) + 2 hours night relief | Partial—some outages still occurred | Ramadan no-shedding at Sehri/Iftar |
| LESCO | No load-shedding during Eid | No recorded issues so far | Rotating schedule otherwise |
| FESCO | Zero load-shedding during Eid | Effectively honored | Strong emergency readiness |
| IESCO | No festival-specific pledge seen | Follow the scheduled rotation | Schedules available online |
| MEPCO / KE | No festival pledge | Strict load management; theft penalized | Especially heavy in KE areas |
Final Note:
- Most DISCOs commit to uninterrupted supply during Eid-ul-Azha (especially PESCO, LESCO, and FESCO). PESCO’s pledge was partially undermined by local outages, while FESCO and LESCO fared better. IESCO maintains its regular scheduled cuts. MEPCO and KE follow standard practices—areas with high losses or theft often face longer outages, even during celebrations.
Nationwide Tariff Adjustments (2025–2026)
** 2025**
By the end of 2024, average retail prices dropped from Rs 48.70 to Rs 44.04 per unit; industrial rates dipped from Rs 58.50 to Rs 47.17.
In March–May 2025, a negative adjustment of ~Rs 2 per unit was approved under QTA, offering nationwide relief starting March 2025.
Additionally, a PM-announced cut of Rs 7.41 per unit for consumers and Rs 7.69 for industries was made effective in April 2025.
** 2026**
NEPRA approved a new uniform tariff of Rs 31.59/kWh, down from Rs 32.73/kWh, effective July 1, 2025, for FY 2025–26.
Overall generation cost dropped from ~Rs 30.88 to Rs 29.6 per kWh; total revenue requirement lowered from Rs 35.5 to Rs 34.0 per kWh.
2. Provincial / Regional Load‑Shedding and Supply Trends
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PESCO Region)
Over 45% of domestic feeders (443 of 981) experience 12–20 hours/day of load-shedding; the rest face 2–7 hours/day.
Domestic feeders with the highest losses (> 80%) face ~20 hours of outages; those with moderate losses face 12–16 hours, scaling down to 2 hours for low-loss feeders.
Districts like Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda, and rural areas (e.g., Bannu, DI Khan) endure longer outages due to high AT&C losses.
Karachi (K-Electric)
70% of feeders (~1,470 out of 2,100) are load-shedding free, especially in high recovery areas like Defence, Gulshan, and Bahadurabad.
Feeders with 25–30% losses face 6-hour outages, while losses above 30% bring up to 10-hour outages.
Punjab (LESCO / IESCO Region)
While official data is sparse, public complaints suggest 12+ hours/day in areas like Rawalpindi and Model Town, Lahore experiencing multiple outages daily.
3. Emerging Renewable Trends
Solar power has become a major player: in 2025, solar accounts for over 25% of total electricity generation in Pakistan.
Net-metering and solar adoption, especially among consumers, are becoming more widespread across provinces.
4. Summary Table: Electricity Cost & Load‑Shedding (2025–2026)
| Nationwide (Avg.) | Tariffs dropped from ~Rs 44 → uniform Rs 31.6/kWh by mid‑2025. | Varies by region and feeder performance. |
| KP (PESCO) | Subject to uniform tariff cuts. | 45% feeders face 12–20h/d outages; low-loss feeders get ~2h. |
| Karachi (K‑Electric) | Follows the same tariff framework with slight regional differences. | 70% feeders load‑shedding free; high-loss areas still get 6–10h/d. |
| Punjab (LESCO/IESCO) | Under national tariff adjustments. | Anecdotal reports: Rawalpindi >12h/day; Lahore varied outages. |
| Nationwide Solar Mix | Rising solar share (>25%) supports cost relief and stability. | Helps buffer outages; adoption is growing across provinces. |
** In Summary**
Pakistan’s electricity tariffs are steadily decreasing in both 2025 and projected into 2026, thanks to national reforms and NEPRA’s uniform pricing. However, load-shedding durations remain highly district-dependent:
KP and rural districts suffer the longest outages due to loss and theft.
Urban areas like Karachi are improving—with many feeders now load-shedding free.
Punjab cities see mixed patterns, with some heavily impacted and others less so.
Solar is emerging as a powerful, stabilizing influence across provinces.
