The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has held K-Electric responsible for the major power breakdown that hit the country in 2023, imposing a fine of Rs25 million on the power utility for failing to meet its operational obligations.

In its decision announced on Thursday, NEPRA said K-Electric’s explanations and responses did not provide any satisfactory justification for the nationwide outage.

The authority ruled that it was incorrect to place the entire blame on the national grid alone, adding that K-Electric was equally responsible for the weaknesses and faults in its own system.

According to the verdict, the company’s replies were deemed “unsatisfactory and unacceptable.”

NEPRA directed K-Electric to deposit the imposed penalty into the national treasury within 15 days.

The decision noted that while K-Electric’s reference to “low system inertia” was technically accurate, it was an insufficient explanation for the blackout.

The report also pointed out that the company failed to demonstrate the effectiveness of its black start plan — a system meant to restore power after a total shutdown — despite claiming to have conducted relevant drills.

NEPRA further stated that the repeated tripping incidents indicated ineffective safety mechanisms and persistent technical deficiencies in K-Electric’s power plants.

The authority said it had provided K-Electric multiple opportunities to submit its responses, with hearings delayed several times at the company’s request.

The initial hearing, scheduled for November 14, 2024, was postponed, and the final session took place on March 20, 2025, at NEPRA headquarters, following which the decision was issued.

Sources said K-Electric will now be required to address its technical shortcomings and take urgent measures to ensure an active and effective black start plan to prevent future large-scale outages.