NEPRA asks Govt to kick out CEO IESCO for poor performance

ISLAMABAD: Taking serious note of the poor performance of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Naeem Jan, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has recommended that the Federal Government replace him immediately.
This recommendation was made by Member (Technical) Rafique Ahmad Shaikh, who was presiding over a public hearing regarding the adjustment request for the indexation of Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) components for FY 2025-26, as well as other adjustments in IESCO’s consumer-end tariff.
“I have constraints as I would not be able to do anything individually. I request the Authority to conduct a rehearing of IESCO’s MYT adjustment request and ask the company to present its complete business case. If the Authority does not agree with him, then the process will continue as planned, and answers to questions will be sought within seven days,” he said.
Rafique Shaikh expressed frustration after commentator Arif Bilwani remarked that if the Chairman of NEPRA had presided over the hearing, he would have recused himself, as he had done on April 8, 2025.
“Write in my personal note that the CEO of IESCO does not have the capacity to lead his team and the company. He failed to adequately explain his case. Though it is not my job, and I’m unsure of the Authorities’ decision, I recommend that he be replaced immediately,” stated Rafique Shaikh.
He further accused power distribution companies (Discos) of presenting falsified data to the Authority and referenced poor presentations from Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) and Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO).
Earlier, the IESCO team presented their tariff increase request, seeking an additional Rs 9 per unit for the fiscal year 2025-26 based on projections. However, NEPRA appeared uncomfortable with the figures presented by IESCO. During the hearing, IESCO officials stated that the solar metering capacity within its jurisdiction was approximately 500 MW.
According to the presentation, IESCO requested Rs 148.091 billion for energy transfer charges for FY 2025-26, Rs 190.985 billion for capacity transfer charges, and Rs 17.203 billion for other transfer charges. The total projected Power Purchase Price (PPP) for FY 2025-26 was estimated at Rs 356.278 billion, compared to Rs 323.889 billion in FY 2024-25.
Commentator Arif Bilwani also raised several questions regarding the proposed demands for various accounts for FY 2025-26.