Parliamentary Secretary for Energy (Power Division) Aamir Talal Khan informed the National Assembly on Thursday that load-shedding on certain feeders is primarily linked to high transmission and distribution losses.
Responding to a question during the Question Hour, he said feeders experiencing 10 hours or more of load-shedding are mainly those with elevated loss ratios.
He noted that the issue had been raised repeatedly in the House and clarified that the duration of load-shedding is directly connected to the level of losses on individual feeders.
To address the problem, he said the government is undertaking multiple corrective measures. The entire cable system is being upgraded, with conventional lines being replaced by Aerial Bundled Cables (ABC) to curb theft and reduce losses. In addition, around 1.6 million Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters have so far been installed, replacing old meters.
He added that by the end of 2026, all three-phase meters across the country would be converted to AMI meters, which would help significantly reduce losses and improve monitoring.
The parliamentary secretary also highlighted the ongoing anti-power theft campaign being carried out in coordination with law enforcement agencies. He expressed confidence that these efforts would lead to a visible reduction in losses and, consequently, load-shedding on affected feeders in the coming months.
Responding to a supplementary question about SEPCO, he said that out of a total of 707 feeders, approximately 407 are experiencing more than 10 hours of load-shedding.
He assured the House that further measures are being taken to improve the situation and agreed to arrange a meeting with the CEO of SEPCO before the next session, as suggested by a member.