Check HESCO's Loss Target in Sindh: NEPRA Allows 17.55%, HESCO Lost 27.17%

NEPRA has set HESCO's provisional loss target at 17.55% for FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27, while HESCO reported losing 27.17% of its electricity in 2024-25. The target is in NEPRA's decision of 22 June 2026 on HESCO's five year investment plan. If HESCO's loss study is late, a tighter 8.30% applies.

HESCO supplies Hyderabad and much of southern Sindh outside Karachi. We read the full decision on NEPRA's HESCO page. This guide gives the numbers, the study deadline and the steps to check them yourself.

HESCO lost 27.17% of its power against a 17.55% target

HESCO told NEPRA that its transmission and distribution losses ended 2024-25 at 27.17%. NEPRA had projected 17.55% for that year. So roughly 27 of every 100 units sent into HESCO's network did not reach a paying meter.

NEPRA's targets for HESCO fell step by step from 19.43% in FY 2020-21 to 17.55% in FY 2024-25. HESCO stayed above them throughout. Its own explanation is a shortage of staff, which limited field checks, accurate metering and loss control.

Figures differ slightly between NEPRA documents. NEPRA's separate performance report, covered in the guide to line losses by power company, lists HESCO at 27.89%. The 27.17% figure comes from this investment plan decision.

HESCO asked for 25.94% and NEPRA allowed 17.55%

HESCO asked NEPRA to accept targets of 25.94% in FY 2025-26, falling to 21.49% by FY 2029-30, based on a starting loss of 27.77%. NEPRA noted that these losses were higher than HESCO's last approved targets and set 17.55% for now.

The 17.55% is provisional. It holds only until an outside study is done, and it covers FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27. The table shows how NEPRA built it and what happens if the study is late.

NEPRA calls the 1.00% a law and order margin. The decision does not explain it at length, so we report it as written.

HESCO used only 18% of the investment NEPRA allowed

NEPRA allowed HESCO Rs 72,635 million for the last five years. HESCO's own table shows it used Rs 13,403 million, about 18%. NEPRA found under-use in several areas and delays in carrying out projects, and it asked for better planning.

HESCO gave several reasons: cancelled tenders, fast inflation, import limits under SRO 598(I)/2022, slow land purchase and government austerity measures. The table also shows a federal grant line for grid station work, which HESCO listed with no money used at all.

NEPRA told HESCO to improve preventive maintenance, energy accounting and system control. The plan for the new five years is to be judged against these gaps.

A late loss study means an 8.30% target

NEPRA told HESCO to hire an international consultant to study its losses within nine months of the 7 January 2026 tariff decision. We count that as about 7 October 2026. If no study arrives, 8.30% applies from FY 2025-26 and the difference is reworked later.

We did not see a study or a NEPRA notice about it on the pages we read on 14 October 2026. That does not prove none exists. NEPRA may simply not have posted it.

If you want to know how HESCO compares on money, see how each company recovers its costs. If you suspect theft near you, the steps to report electricity theft are free.

Check the decision yourself in five steps

The decision is public on NEPRA's HESCO page, so you can read the same paragraphs. The loss tables sit near the end of the document, so you do not need to read all 76 pages. Each step below names the paragraph to open.

1. Open the HESCO page on nepra.org.pk.
2. Find the entry dated 22-06-2026 on the Distribution Investment Plan and Losses Assessment.
3. Open the PDF and go to paragraph 62 for the loss figures HESCO reported.
4. Read paragraph 249 for the provisional table and paragraph 250 for the fallback table.
5. Compare the totals with the 25.94% HESCO asked for in paragraph 243.

If you need your bill first, see how to do a HESCO bill check online, which includes the free duplicate bill.

Common questions about HESCO's loss target

What is HESCO's loss target?

NEPRA allows 17.55% total loss for FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27. It is a provisional figure until an outside study is done.

What did HESCO actually lose in 2024-25?

HESCO reported 27.17% in this decision. NEPRA's separate performance report lists 27.89%, so the two documents differ slightly.

What happens if HESCO misses the study deadline?

The target becomes 8.30% from FY 2025-26. NEPRA says the money effect will be reworked in a later adjustment.

Does this raise my electricity bill?

We cannot say. The decision sets targets and investment rules, not a unit price. Any money effect would come through a later NEPRA adjustment.

Which areas does HESCO serve?

HESCO is the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company. It supplies Hyderabad and large parts of Sindh. Karachi is served by K-Electric, which has a separate tariff.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 14 October 2026. Every figure comes from NEPRA's decision of 22 June 2026 on HESCO's Distribution Investment Plan and Losses Assessment, on the HESCO page of nepra.org.pk. The PDF is a scan, so check the printed table before you quote a decimal. The study deadline date is our own count. We did not find a HESCO statement in reply.