The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has held the National Grid Company and the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) responsible for failing to restore electricity in time following the massive nationwide blackout that occurred four years ago.
In a decision issued on Monday, NEPRA imposed fines of Rs2.5 crore each on the two organisations. The regulator said the country remained without power for nearly 20 hours after the January 9, 2021 breakdown, and both entities failed to take immediate steps for restoration.
The decision noted that major power outages also occurred in 2021, 2022 and 2023, yet both companies repeatedly failed to restore supply within the required timeframe.
NEPRA said it had constituted an investigation committee to probe the 2021 incident, and during subsequent hearings, neither the National Grid Company nor the CPPA could satisfy the authority regarding lapses in the system.
The regulator observed that both organisations attempted to shift responsibility onto each other instead of addressing operational failures.
NEPRA has directed the National Grid Company and CPPA to deposit the fines within 15 days.
