Daily Times

Focused on the future of energy and sustainability of the power sector, K-Electric issued its 2021 Sustainability Report showcasing its efforts to create value in the business and communities it operates.

These efforts are part of the company’s continued commitment to make a meaningful contribution towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Since privatization, sustainability has been a cornerstone of KE’s philosophy, with continued investments to drive socio-economic growth and uplift communities alongside the provision of safe, reliable, and affordable energy. As the only privatized integrated power utility in Pakistan, KE has been leading the sustainability agenda among power utilities and publishes a sustainability report. Within the report, KE displays its non-financial performance on topics that impact environment, social, and governance factors.

Key highlights for the year 2020-2021 included KE’s Project Sarbulandi which focuses on 12 high loss areas of Karachi, with a goal to positively impact 10 million residents. With strategic interventions, the utility has provided over 100,000 low-cost meters, commissioned the installation of Aerial Bundled Cables, and also upgraded its infrastructure to improve the power supply situation in these areas. Alongside this, KE has adopted public parks and schools for renovations, and installed 6 water filtration plants impacting over 55,000 people in support of community development. Furthermore, free medical camps were also held in these areas.

KE has also been leading the agenda of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion with the induction of 40 female community safety ambassadors under its Roshni Baji Program launched in February 2021. Over the last 8 months, these women have visited over 100,000 homes, educating households about best safety practices to inculcate in their premises. Additionally, these women were provided training in self-defense, how to operate and maintain a motorcycle, and a complete training course of over 8,000 man-hours to certify them as the first female electricians in the country, capable of planning and executing the internal wiring on a single-phase meter.

In April this year, KE also launched the inaugural edition of its KHI Awards, which reaffirms its commitment to supporting the organizations contributing towards Karachi’s progress. The KHI Awards selected over 30 winners across 13 diverse categories, via a rigorous screening process that was audited by EY Ford Rhodes Chartered Accountants to ensure transparency.

Sustainability has also been embedded into the company’s operational vision, and in addition to existing renewable capacity, the Company plans to add another 350 to 400 MW under an ambitious energy diversification strategy. Continued investments in transmission and distribution capacity and infrastructure have resulted in load-shed as a percentage of demand to reduce significantly, and with planned investments, the Company is committed to further this improvement trajectory.

As the world dealt with the aftermath of Covid-19, KE stepped up to protect its workers and has successfully achieved 100% vaccination coverage of all its facilities. Furthering the Government of Sindh and NEPRA’s vision to achieve a COVID-free Pakistan, KE also partnered with HANDS to establish Mobile Health Vaccination Units for communities with limited access to vaccine centers.

Commenting on the report, Chief Marketing, Communication & Customer Experience Officer Sadia Dada said, “This sustainability report is a snapshot of the work that we have been doing over the year, and it is humbling to see the scale of our achievements thus far. We have been working actively to address sustainability at grassroots level as well as company-wide. Whether it leverages greater automation and digitization into our processes or engages the communities we serve to achieve a common goal, our aim has been to ensure that we secure our future with planning and foresight today.”

KE has made other notable changes that have had a positive effect on business operations in addition to all the projects mentioned. They have plans to move towards a paperless future as they make an effort to be more environmentally responsible by partnering with other notable organizations to create a platform for consumers where digital experience increases.

The Sustainability Report has been verified by BDO Ebrahim & Co. to be in accordance with the GRI Core Standards on business, community engagement, customer experience, environmental impact, human resources, and safety, demonstrating the utility’s commitment towards compliance with international best practices and transparent reporting.