Check PESCO's Loss Target in Peshawar: NEPRA Allows 19.26%, PESCO Asked 41.79%
NEPRA's 7 May 2026 decision sets PESCO's loss target at 19.26%, or 8.90% if its study is late. See the tables and check the decision yourself in five steps.
NEPRA has allowed PESCO a provisional loss target of 19.26% for FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27. PESCO had asked for a base of 41.79%. The target is in NEPRA's decision of 7 May 2026 on PESCO's five year investment plan. If PESCO's loss study is late, the target falls to 8.90%.
PESCO supplies Peshawar and most of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We read the decision on NEPRA's PESCO page. This guide gives the numbers, the deadline and the steps to check them yourself.
PESCO asked for 41.79% and NEPRA allowed 19.26%
PESCO asked NEPRA to accept losses of 41.79% in FY 2025-26, falling to 36.79% by 2029-30. NEPRA instead approved a provisional 19.26%. That is less than half of what PESCO requested, and it holds only until an outside study is complete.
The decision lists two sets of numbers for PESCO's request. The detailed submission says 41.79% falling to 36.79%. The issue list in the same decision says 38.5% falling to 35.5%. Both are far above the figure NEPRA approved.
PESCO also explained that its figures now cover PESCO alone. Hazara was split off as a separate company, HAZECO, from 30 June 2025. Readers in Hazara can use the guide on HAZECO bill check online.
Why does the gap matter? A company that asks for a high loss target is asking NEPRA to count more lost power as a normal cost. NEPRA refused that for now and kept the target well below what PESCO asked for.
The provisional target has four parts
The 19.26% total is built from four blocks: high voltage loss, low voltage loss, a margin for law and order, and transmission loss. NEPRA applies it to FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 only, while the outside loss study is pending.
| Part of the loss target | Provisional target | If the study is late |
|---|---|---|
| High voltage (11 kV) loss | 11.82% | 5.98% |
| Low voltage (400/230 V) loss | 4.42% | 2.00% |
| Law and order margin | 1.00% | Not listed |
| Total distribution loss | 17.24% | 7.98% |
| Transmission loss | 2.44% | 1.00% |
| Total T&D loss | 19.26% | 8.90% |
The law and order margin is NEPRA's name for a 1.00% allowance added to the distribution target. The decision does not explain it at length, so we report it as written.
PESCO spent more than allowed but under-used Rs 20 billion
NEPRA found PESCO spent Rs 83,206 million against Rs 76,746 million allowed in the last plan. Yet, leaving out deposit works, NEPRA says PESCO still under-used about Rs 20 billion of its approved money, so the overall total hides gaps.
The decision says some projects cost more than NEPRA had approved, while other heads were not fully used. NEPRA also found delays in grid station work, mainly over land and buying equipment.
For the new plan, the decision says the financial effect of delayed benefits beyond the approved timelines is borne entirely by PESCO. We have not found a PESCO reply to this decision.
A late loss study means an 8.90% target
NEPRA told PESCO 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, 8.90% 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. Do not read that as proof that no study exists. NEPRA may simply not have posted it.
Every power company got the same deadline. NEPRA's own performance report, covered in the guide to line losses by power company, lists PESCO's shortfall as the largest in money terms.
Check the decision yourself in five steps
The decision is public on NEPRA's PESCO page, so you can read the same paragraphs. The loss tables are near the end of the document, so you do not need to read all 79 pages.
- Open the PESCO page on nepra.org.pk.
- Find the entry dated 07-05-2026 on the Distribution Investment Plan and Losses Assessment.
- Open the PDF and go to paragraph 216 to read PESCO's request.
- Read paragraph 243 for the provisional table and paragraph 244 for the fallback table.
- Compare both totals with the 41.79% PESCO asked for.
If you need your bill first, see how to do a PESCO bill check online. If you think power is being stolen near you, the steps to report electricity theft are free.
Common questions about PESCO's loss target
What is PESCO's loss target?
NEPRA allows 19.26% total loss for FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27. It is a provisional figure until an outside study is done.
What did PESCO ask for?
PESCO asked for 41.79% in FY 2025-26, falling to 36.79% by 2029-30. The same decision also quotes 38.5% to 35.5% in its issue list.
What happens if the study is late?
The target becomes 8.90% from FY 2025-26. NEPRA says the money effect will be reworked in a later adjustment.
Is Hazara included in these numbers?
No. HAZECO was separated from PESCO on 30 June 2025, and the decision says the figures now cover PESCO alone.
Will my bill change because of this decision?
We cannot say. The decision sets targets and investment limits, not a unit price. Any money effect would come through a later NEPRA adjustment.
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 7 May 2026 on PESCO's Distribution Investment Plan and Losses Assessment, on the PESCO 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 PESCO statement in reply.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
