# Strong Domestic and Foreign Investor Interest in FESCO Privatisation
*ISLAMABAD:* The Privatisation Commission (PC) has received a strong response from both domestic and international investors for the proposed privatisation of the *Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), with 12 prospective investors submitting expressions of interest (EOIs) for acquiring a **51 per cent to 100 per cent stake along with management control*.
According to the Privatisation Commission, the EOIs include submissions from *three Turkish investors, one Chinese investor and eight Pakistani business groups*, reflecting growing interest in Pakistan’s electricity distribution sector.
The Turkish companies include *Aktor Elektrik Enerji Yatırımları San. ve Tic. A.Ş., Genvera Enerji A.Ş. (Celik Group), and Cengiz Enerji Sanayii ve Ticaret A.Ş.* The Chinese EOI was submitted by *Jiang Xi Electric Power Construction*.
The eight local investor groups include *Engro Energy Limited, Sapphire Fibers Limited, Hub Power Holdings, Lucky Cement, Shirazi Investments (Pvt) Limited (Atlas Group), Maple Leaf Cement and Kohinoor Textile, Nishat Mills Limited and Pak Elektron Ltd, and Artistic Milliners (Private) Limited and K-Electric Limited*.
The Privatisation Commission welcomed the participation of leading domestic and international business groups, noting their extensive engagement during investor roadshows conducted in Pakistan and abroad over the past six months.
“This is an important milestone in the privatisation of Discos,” said *Muhammad Ali, Chairman of the Privatisation Commission and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation*.
He said the strong response to FESCO demonstrated investor confidence in the potential of Pakistan’s electricity distribution sector as well as the government’s commitment to a transparent, competitive and professionally managed privatisation process.
Muhammad Ali said the commission would now engage with prequalified investors during the due diligence phase and discuss the framework and requirements of the post-privatisation regime.
According to the PC chairman, privatising distribution companies is expected to *improve operational efficiency, modernise distribution infrastructure, enhance customer services, reduce electricity losses and strengthen the financial sustainability of the power sector*.
He added that these measures could eventually create conditions for more competitive electricity distribution and help provide consumers with more affordable and reliable electricity.
In the next phase, the EOIs and Statements of Qualification (SOQs) submitted by interested parties will undergo a comprehensive assessment against the approved prequalification criteria.
Investors that meet the prescribed requirements will proceed to the next stage, where they will be granted access to a *Virtual Data Room (VDR)* to conduct detailed buy-side due diligence.
FESCO is one of three distribution companies included in the first batch of the government’s Disco privatisation programme, alongside the *Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO)* and *Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)*.
The three companies are considered among the most commercially viable of Pakistan’s 11 electricity distribution companies, which were originally carved out of the *Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda)* in 1998.
The deadline for submission of EOIs for *GEPCO* is August 21, 2026, while the deadline for *IESCO* has been set for September 7, 2026.
The Privatisation Commission said it would continue to ensure an *open, transparent and competitive process*, conducted in the public interest and aligned with the federal government’s broader power-sector reform agenda.
Story by Khaleeq Kiani
