LESCO leads in electricity theft; Power Division issues warning

The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has topped the list of all power distribution companies in the country due to a record surge in electricity theft and line losses, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel on Tuesday.

According to the official documents, around 291 eleven-kilovolt (11 kV) feeders in LESCO's network are reporting electricity losses ranging between 20 percent to 30 percent.

These significant losses have drawn the attention of the Ministry of Power Division, which has sent a formal letter to Aamir Zia, Chairman of LESCO’s Board of Directors, expressing serious concern over the issue.

The Power Division highlighted in the correspondence that line losses of up to 30 percent have been officially recorded across these 291 feeders.

Due to these high losses, these feeders are classified under Category Three, which results in increased load shedding in the affected areas.

To bring the situation under control, the division has directed LESCO to reduce losses on these feeders to below 20%, warning that failure to do so would continue to impose heavy burdens on the power system.

Following the Power Division’s letter, all relevant LESCO offices have been instructed to take immediate action to improve system performance.

It is worth mentioning that just two days ago, LESCO launched a fresh campaign aimed at reducing line losses and curbing electricity theft.

As part of the strategy, the company is set to install AMI-based single-phase smart meters throughout its service areas. The procurement process for these advanced meters is already underway.

Additionally, as of May 5, 2025, LESCO has prohibited large commercial and industrial consumers from purchasing smart meters from private markets.

Instead, a notification by LESCO’s Material Management Department now mandates that these consumers obtain demand notices for meter installation directly from the company.

All smart meters will henceforth be installed from LESCO’s certified inventory, and the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for purchasing Time-of-Use (TOU) smart meters from the open market has been suspended.

Reporter: Shahid Sipra