Islamabad, October 9, 2025 – The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a penalty of Rs25 million on K-Electric for its failure to promptly restore electricity following the nationwide power breakdown on January 23, 2023, which left the country in darkness for nearly 20 hours.
According to NEPRA’s official order, the fine was levied after the utility was found non-compliant with multiple provisions of the NEPRA Act, Licensing Rules, and the Grid Code. The authority determined that K-Electric failed to maintain and operate its generation facilities in line with established technical and safety requirements, particularly regarding black start procedures meant to restore power after a total shutdown.
The inquiry revealed that K-Electric’s black start facilities at several power plants — including Tapal Power Plant, BQPS-II, and KCCPP — repeatedly failed during restoration attempts, causing significant delays in bringing the system back online. NEPRA stated that these failures were largely due to inadequate testing, lack of mock drills, and insufficient contingency measures, reflecting serious gaps in operational preparedness.
K-Electric, in its defense, argued that the power collapse originated from disturbances in the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) network, which triggered a cascading failure in its system. However, NEPRA rejected this explanation, asserting that as a vertically integrated utility, K-Electric was obligated to ensure system resilience and maintain autonomous restoration capability.
The authority concluded that the utility’s shortcomings amounted to a violation of Section 14B(4) of the NEPRA Act and relevant provisions of the NEPRA (Fine) Regulations, 2021. K-Electric has been directed to deposit the Rs25 million fine within 15 days, failing which recovery proceedings will be initiated under Section 41 of the NEPRA Act.