ISLAMABAD — The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday imposed a Rs10 million penalty on the National Grid Company (NGC), formerly known as the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), for repeatedly failing to submit crucial data related to the Integrated System Plan (ISP) 2024–34 despite multiple regulatory directives.
In its detailed ruling, Nepra said NGC had not fulfilled its statutory obligations and had inadequately responded to a show-cause notice issued last year.
After completing legal proceedings, the regulator decided to levy the fine.Nepra noted that NGC had ignored its instructions and argued that no clear deadline had been given for submitting the required information. The dispute originated during public hearings on the 10-year generation and transmission expansion plan in August 2024, when Nepra directed NGC to revise the base case of the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP 2024) by increasing the system load factor from 60 per cent to 70 per cent.
Despite repeated reminders, the company failed to provide the revised addendum.In December 2024, Nepra initiated formal proceedings against NGC. The company claimed that the proposed changes were under review by various government bodies, including the Power Division, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), and the Prime Minister’s Office, and cited revisions in project costs and load forecasts as reasons for the delay.
However, Nepra rejected these explanations, stating that NGC had neither communicated its concerns properly nor adhered to clearly specified timelines, thereby disrupting the planning process. The regulator also pointed out that NGC’s claim of having no deadline contradicted official records and correspondence.
While NGC representatives admitted responsibility for the delays, they maintained there was no intentional non-compliance. Nepra nonetheless ruled that the failure amounted to wilful default and imposed the Rs10m fine as a corrective measure.
