ISLAMABAD: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has imposed fines of Rs 115 million on four power Distribution Companies (Discos) on account of fatal accidents.
The power regulator had issued show-cause notices to five Discos including Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) for fatal accidents which claimed lives of their staff and civilians due to inefficient measures to protect human lives.
As per Rule 7 of Nepra Performance Standards (Distribution) Rules, 2005 (PSDR 2005), all Distribution Companies (Discos) are bound to submit an Annual Performance Report to the Authority every year.
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Further, Form 9 of PSDR 2005 states that Discos shall report each and every individual incident on an immediate basis. Accordingly, the Discos submitted the data/ information to Nepra regarding electrical incidents resulting in death/ permanent disability/ serious injury to members of staff or the general public that occurred in FY 2022-23.
The Authority considered the response of the Licensee and decided to provide an opportunity for a hearing to the Licensee under Nepra (Fine) Regulations, 2021, before further proceeding in the matter. Accordingly, the said hearing was held on December 27, 2023, wherein, the CEOs of the Licensees along with his team made the submissions.
The Authority has analysed the submissions of the Licensees and observes that the Power Safety Code prescribed by Nepra has the instant to being the discipline in the industry. Reasonable time was granted by the Authority to the licensee for adherence and compliance. The argument that the Licensee has not signed the same and hence it is not binding is prepositions and reckless.
The Authority after considering the submissions of the Licensees maintained that the purpose of show-cause notice are self-explanatory, unambiguous, and intended to penalise the contravention. Therefore, the submissions of the Licensee are rejected.
After going through the evidences and comments of CEOs of four Discos, the Authority has imposed fines on the following Discos: (i) Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) Rs 15 million; (ii) Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) Rs 15 million; Peshawar Electric Power Supply Company (PESCO) Rs 62 billion and Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) Rs 23 million.
However, in case of TESCO, Nepra argues that in view of the submissions of the Licensee, the evidence available on record, and provisions of relevant Nepra laws and terms and conditions of distribution license issued to the Licensee, the Authority accepts the response of the Licensee to be satisfactory and decides to close the matter.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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