By SKM
August 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s drive to privatise its electricity distribution companies has gained fresh momentum, with 11 domestic and international investor groups submitting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for a 51% to 100% stake in Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), along with management control.
The strong response includes investors from Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, as well as some of Pakistan’s most prominent business groups, signalling growing private-sector appetite for the country’s electricity distribution sector.
The interested parties include Aktor Elektrik Enerji Yatırımları, Genvera Enerji and Cengiz Enerji from Türkiye; Al Sharif Contracting and Commercial Development Company from Saudi Arabia; and leading Pakistani groups including Engro Energy, Sapphire Fibers, Hub Power Holdings and Lucky Cement, Shirazi Investments, Artistic Milliners and Fatima Group, K-Electric, and a consortium of AKD Securities, Fast Cable and Mughal Steel.
The Privatisation Commission said the EOIs and Statements of Qualification submitted by the prospective investors will now undergo a detailed assessment against the government’s approved prequalification criteria.
Those meeting the requirements will be invited to the next stage and given access to GEPCO’s Virtual Data Room, allowing them to conduct detailed financial, operational and technical due diligence.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation and Privatisation Commission Chairman Muhammad Ali described the response as another major milestone in the government’s programme to privatise the distribution companies.
He said the strong investor interest reflected confidence in the potential of Pakistan’s electricity distribution sector and in the government’s commitment to a transparent and competitive process.
The government’s stated objectives include improving operational efficiency, modernising distribution infrastructure, reducing electricity losses, strengthening customer services and creating a financially more sustainable power sector.
GEPCO is one of three distribution companies included in the first batch of the DISCO privatisation programme, alongside Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) and Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).
FESCO attracted EOIs from 12 interested parties by its August 7 deadline, while the deadline for IESCO is set for September 7, 2026.
With major Pakistani conglomerates and international energy players now competing for a stake in GEPCO, the transaction could emerge as a key test of investor confidence in Pakistan’s wider power-sector reform agenda—and potentially set the tone for the next phase of DISCO privatisation. Ends
