# Loadshedding to target single transformers, not whole feeders: Leghari's Rs 200bn plan

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/loadshedding-to-target-single-transformers-not-whole-feeders-legharis-rs-200bn-p)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable
Published: 16 Sept 2026
Updated: 16 Sept 2026
Retrieved: 17 Sept 2026

> Paying customers on high-theft feeders could stop losing power with their neighbours. The catch: it is a year away and the cost will be recovered from consumers over 25 years.

Loadshedding in Pakistan is planned to move from whole **feeders** to single **transformers**, Power Minister Awais Leghari said on 16 September. The aim: when a neighbourhood has heavy theft or unpaid bills, only the transformer serving those homes goes dark, not every consumer on the line.

About **14,000** feeders supply the country, and roughly **3,500** of them face loadshedding because of theft, the minister told journalists at Parliament House. Under today's system, a family that pays its bill on time loses power along with everyone else on a high-loss feeder.

## What changes, and when

- **Remote switching:** distribution companies would be able to turn individual transformers on and off from a control room.
- **Scope:** about **190,000** transformers nationwide, Geo News reported.
- **Timeline:** Leghari told ARY News the mechanism would be implemented within a year. Geo News quoted him as expecting the regulatory framework by **April or May 2027**.
- **Cost:** Rs 600 million to Rs 1 billion per feeder, about **Rs 200 billion** in total, which the minister said would be recovered from consumers over **25 years** without a significant extra burden.

Leghari called it "a modern concept already being used in several countries". He said the government had already stopped the bills of three to four lakh people from being shifted onto the remaining 35 million consumers.

## Why outages are longer right now

The minister gave two other reasons for current loadshedding:

1. **Fuel costs.** A cargo of imported gas that cost about $30 million now costs more than $95 million, so gas-fired plants are not being run at peak hours to save money.
2. **Over-cutting by DISCOs.** He said some distribution companies were loadshedding more than they were officially allowed to.

## What it means for you

**If you pay your bill and live on a high-loss feeder**, this is the change that could end your blanket outages. But it is at least months away, and it depends on new equipment on each transformer.

**If your feeder is not on a theft-based schedule,** expect little difference from this change. Your outages are driven by the fuel-cost and over-cutting problems described above, not by losses.

**The Rs 200 billion bill** would be spread across consumers for 25 years. The minister did not say how much that adds per unit.

## What you can do now

- **Check your bill for arrears.** On a transformer-level system, your neighbours' dues may still affect you if you share a transformer. Confirm your own account is clean: see the [LESCO](/guides/utilities/lesco-bill-check-online-reference-number-customer-id-and-duplicate-bill-2026), [IESCO](/guides/utilities/iesco-bill-check-online-reference-number-customer-id-and-duplicate-bill-2026) and [K-Electric](/guides/utilities/k-electric-bill-check-online) bill guides.
- **Estimate your bill** with the [electricity bill calculator](/tools/utilities/electricity-bill-calculator), and see what an AC costs to run with the [AC running cost calculator](/tools/utilities/ac-running-cost-calculator).
- **Considering solar** for daytime outages? Run the numbers with the [solar payback calculator](/tools/solar/solar-payback-calculator) and check current [panel prices](/data/solar-panel-price).
- **Report theft** on your transformer to your DISCO's helpline; under the new system, it is your supply that is at stake.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is transformer-level loadshedding?**

A system announced by Power Minister Awais Leghari on 16 September 2026 under which distribution companies switch off only the transformer linked to theft or unpaid bills, instead of the whole feeder. About 190,000 transformers would be covered, with implementation expected within a year.

**How many feeders have theft-based loadshedding?**

About 3,500 of Pakistan's roughly 14,000 feeders, according to the Power Minister.

## Sources

- Govt plans transformer-level power control system to curb electricity theft (16 Sep 2026) (Geo News): https://www.geo.tv/latest/682322-govt-plans-transformer-level-power-control-system-to-curb-electricity-theft
- Power minister announces new electricity loadshedding mechanism (16 Sep 2026) (ARY News): https://arynews.tv/power-minister-announces-new-electrcity-loadshedding-mechanism

How to cite: "Loadshedding to target single transformers, not whole feeders: Leghari's Rs 200bn plan", Searchable, 16 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/loadshedding-to-target-single-transformers-not-whole-feeders-legharis-rs-200bn-p