By SKM
March04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s textile sector, the country’s largest export industry, has raised serious concerns over delays and restrictive practices by power distribution companies (DISCOs), warning that continued reluctance to grant multiple industrial connections could hinder industrial expansion and inflate infrastructure costs.
In a formal letter written on March 3, 2026 to Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) urged immediate government intervention to enforce Clause 2.8.1 of the NEPRA Consumer Service Manual, which explicitly permits multiple industrial connections at the same premises where industries are of “different nature,” under the same tariff category, and subject to technical safeguards.
According to APTMA, the core of the dispute is over the interpretation of “industries of different nature.” The textile and apparel value chain — spanning ginning, spinning, weaving, dyeing & processing, garmenting, and home textiles — consists of technically distinct industrial processes with separate machinery, electrical load profiles, safety requirements, and environmental controls.
“DISCOs’ restrictive approach is effectively denying industries their lawful right to multiple connections,” said APTMA Chairman Kamran Arshad. “This forces industrialists to invest in expensive 132 kV grid infrastructure unnecessarily, even when adequate 11 kV distribution capacity exists.”
Clause 2.8.1 includes provisions for independent feeder connections, transformer augmentation, and cost recovery measures to ensure grid stability while allowing industrial expansion. Despite these safeguards, DISCOs are reportedly hesitant to approve additional connections within integrated textile complexes.
APTMA has highlighted that all proposed connections would remain under the B-3 industrial tariff and would not violate any technical limit of the existing grid.
Uniform implementation of the rule could unlock over 100 MW of additional industrial demand from APTMA members alone, reduce reliance on new high-voltage infrastructure, and optimize utilization of existing power distribution networks. Analysts warn that failure to enforce the rule could stall expansion in spinning, processing, and garmenting segments, critical for Pakistan’s export-driven growth agenda.
“The current misinterpretation is a major policy bottleneck that undermines industrial competitiveness,” said an energy sector analyst.
APTMA has requested the Power Ministry to issue clear directives to all DISCOs, ensuring technical feasibility, not administrative discretion, guides decisions on multi-connection requests. The association argues that consistent enforcement will not only safeguard industrial growth but also support efficient use of national grid resources. Ends
