Tag archive
7 stories · ← All coverage
Pakistan's Ministry of Privatisation has decided to sell LESCO and MEPCO to private investors as whole, unsplit entities rather than dividing them into smaller zones first. The move covers two of Punjab's largest distribution companies and must still clear a formal NEPRA licence transfer process before ownership changes hands.
Pakistan's Privatisation Commission has approved EY-Parthenon as financial adviser for outsourcing Lahore and Karachi airports while designating LESCO and MEPCO as the fourth batch of power distribution companies to enter the privatisation process. FESCO, leading the first DISCO batch, has already attracted around a dozen local and international investors with expressions of interest currently under review.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed a comprehensive international investor strategy for DISCO privatisation, with GEPCO, FESCO, and IESCO earmarked for the first phase. Roadshows in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and China have already concluded with the Privatisation Commission given one month to restructure and recruit qualified experts.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a comprehensive technical audit of billing systems across all power distribution companies, directing the Power Division to set clear performance targets and eliminate electricity theft. Five DISCOs — IESCO, LESCO, GEPCO, FESCO, and MEPCO — achieved 100 per cent billing recovery in fiscal year 2025-26.
NEPRA has granted DHA Energy Supply Company a 21-year electricity distribution and supplier-of-last-resort licence for DHA City Karachi, making it the first privately owned entity to hold both licences under Pakistan's CTBCM framework. Desco will initially procure 6 MW from Lucky Cement Limited, wheeled through the K-Electric network, to serve residents and businesses along the M-9 motorway in District Malir.
Pakistan's Adviser on Privatisation Muhammad Ali and Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari held talks with Turkish officials on 25 June 2026 to explore cooperation on power sector privatisation and reform. The engagement reflects Islamabad's ongoing push to offload loss-making state-run distribution companies as part of its IMF programme commitments.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed officials to accelerate the privatisation of IESCO, GEPCO and FESCO, three distribution companies that together serve more than 14 million consumers across Punjab, Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Investor roadshows targeting Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and China are planned for June 2026, with expressions of interest due by the first quarter of the next fiscal year.