The government is pursuing power sector reforms to improve efficiency and reduce losses through privatization, Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said. Speaking to a private television channel, Leghari said progress had been made in revising and renegotiating contracts with Independent Power Producers, while electricity tariffs for industries had also been reduced as part of the broader reform push.
Leghari said the government was promoting solar electricity along with battery based energy storage to lower reliance on expensive power during peak hours. The push toward battery storage alongside solar generation reflects a broader shift in how the government is approaching electricity costs, aiming to reduce dependence on more expensive generation sources during periods of highest demand.
The minister said reforms were also being implemented to curb electricity theft, while measures had been taken to reduce the tax burden on the common people. These measures form part of a wider set of structural changes the government has been pursuing across the power sector, addressing both the technical losses tied to theft and the financial burden passed on to ordinary consumers through tariffs.
Leghari added that load shedding was being shifted from feeders to transformers through significant investment, with the aim of restricting power outages to areas experiencing the highest levels of electricity theft while avoiding disruption for consumers who regularly pay their electricity bills. This targeted approach to load shedding is intended to more fairly distribute the impact of outages based on payment compliance rather than applying blanket restrictions across entire feeder areas regardless of individual consumer behavior.
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