The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has revealed that electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) have overbilled consumers by billions of rupees. A recent NEPRA report shows that between April and June 2024, over 1.3 million consumers received detection bills totaling more than Rs35 billion.
The report details significant overbilling by several DISCOs: Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) issued over Rs13 billion in detection bills, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) issued Rs7.6 billion, Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) issued Rs3.7 billion, and Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) issued over Rs1.5 billion to 70,506 consumers.
NEPRA strongly criticized these actions, stating the bills were issued to artificially inflate revenue without proper verification or justification, placing an unfair financial burden on consumers.
The authority highlighted the increase in corruption within the power companies linked to these practices.
NEPRA emphasized that these bills undermine consumer trust in the power sector and raise serious concerns about consumer protection and accountability in electricity billing.
This revelation follows NEPRA’s December 19, 2024, announcement to the National Assembly that it is pursuing legal action against 71 cases of excessive billing by various DISCOs. NEPRA indicated potential fines for the DISCOs upon conclusion of these proceedings.
