Multan Electric Power Supply Company

Introduction
MEPCO, The Multan Electric Power Company is the largest distribution Company of PEPCO.
Its area of operation is comprising of 13 districts of south Punjab. MEPCO is the only
distribution company which touches three provinces and five distribution companies of
Pakistan as HESCO (Sindh) at Sadiqabad, PESCO (KPK) at Vahova, QESCO (Balochistan) at
Fort Manro, FESCO at Bhakkar and LESCO at Sahiwal. MEPCO also touches the border of
India at Minchinabad Bahawalnager. Administratively MEPCO control this area through its
eight operation circles names Multan, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnager, Muzaffargarh,
D.G.Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and Vehari. The charter of MEPCO is to provide reliable and safe
electric power supply to the consumers in its Jurisdiction. MEPCO is envisaged for the creation
of the resources and engineering plans for additions, renovation and augmentation of the
distribution system in order to achieve charter.

History
The electricity supply service in Pakistan, initially, was undertaken by different agencies, both
in public and private sectors, in different areas. In order to provide for the unified and
coordinated development of the water and power resources, Water and Power Development
Authority (WAPDA) was created in 1958 through WAPDA Act, 1958.
The environment and structure of the power industry throughout the world are undergoing
dramatic change. The power sector is moving from monopoly to privatization and from
integration to disintegration. To keep pace with this change, the Government of Pakistan
approved a Strategic Plan in 1994 as a consequence of which the power wing of WAPDA has
been unbundled into 12 Companies for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

Background
Multan Electric Power Company Limited (MEPCO) is a public limited company incorporated
on May 14, 1998 in line with Government policy of unbundling and corporatization of Pakistan
power sector. The company was established to acquire all properties, rights, assets, obligations
and liabilities of defunct Multan Area Electricity Board, Grid Stations and transmission lines
of the supply system which were directly and exclusively supplying electricity in the
jurisdiction of the said Multan Area Electricity Board.
MEPCO is the largest power distribution company in the country operating exclusively in 13
administrative districts of southern Punjab i.e. Multan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, D.G.Khan,
Rajanpur, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, R.Y.Khan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari and
Bahawalnagar.

The service territory of the company is mostly rural, so its customers profile is heavily
dominated by domestic category and that too by life line customers.

MEPCO is licensee who has been granted license by the NEPRA for distribution of electricity
exclusively to service territory spread over 13 administrative districts of Southern Punjab.
Vision
To ensure convenient availability of high quality power in area of responsibility, in order to
alleviate the poverty, improve quality of life and make the Industrial and Agriculture Sector
competitive in the World Market.
Mission
Ensure convenient availability of high quality electric power to the people at affordable price,
retaining financial viability of the Company.

Objectives
To play an active role to make Sar Sabaz and Roshan Pakistan.
To facilitate agriculture and industrial sector.
To ensure un-interrupted & stable power supply to all our customers.
State-of-art customer care for entire satisfaction of customers.
To provide electricity to every village in jurisdiction of company.
To establish, construct and operate reliable electricity distribution network.

Distribution System
An electric power distribution system is the final stage in the delivery of electric power; it
carries electricity from the transmission system to individual consumers. Distribution
substations connect to the transmission system and lower the transmission voltage to medium
voltage ranging between 11 kV and 33 kV with the use of transformers. Primary distribution
lines carry this medium voltage power to distribution transformers located near the customer's
premises. Distribution transformers again lower the voltage to the utilization voltage of
household appliances and typically feed several customers through secondary distribution lines
at this voltage. Commercial and residential customers are connected to the secondary
distribution lines through service drops. Customers demanding a much larger amount of power
may be connected directly to the primary distribution level or the sub transmission level.
The Power sector was restructured in 1998 with the creation of PEPCO (Pakistan Electric
Power Company. Prior to 1998, there were two vertically integrated utilities, i.e, KESC,
which served the Karachi area and WAPDA which served the rest of the country. Later on,
WAPDAs power wing has been structured into distinct corporate entities comprising of
4 GENCOs, 10 DISCOs and one TRANSCO (NTDCL).
These 10 DISCOs are responsible for distribution to the end users. KESC meet its overall
demand with its own generation plus purchase from NTDC, IPPs and from Karachi Nuclear
Power Plant.
Information Technology in WAPDA/MEPCO
The Information System Department of WAPDA better known as WAPDA Computer Centre
(WCC) is the hub of IT activity in WAPDA. Ever since the Computer Centre was established
in 1968, WCC has supported the implementation of computer technology throughout the
organization and the Country. Using broad categories of mainframe, minis and
microcomputers, running under an array of operating environments WCC has also the
distinction of producing skilled workforce for the IT industry.
The Authority is now fully harnessing the advantages of information technology (IT) and in
almost all studies from detailed monitoring of WAPDA's defaulters to Analysis of Electricity
tariffs, computer centre has become focal point for generating information imperative for
management policy formulation.
In addition, processing of special reports for Authority and various WAPDA formations is
carried out by the computer centres. The division-wise computerized receivable reporting and
monitoring system providing twenty different arrears analysis reports have been expanded to
provide tariff wise information. These reports have been further extended to support monitoring
at the sub division level.
Performance data monitoring report reflecting various types of billing and consumers statistics
has also been refined. To assist in procurement of quality hardware and software products,
WCC is rendering valuable expert guidance to all WAPDA formations seeking help.
To consolidate the information from geographically distributed databases, the data
communication facility available via WAPDA's Administrative Traffic Network in being used.
The free facility is being used to transmit program and summarized data.
The filed formations are also being encouraged to use electronic mail facility available through
Internet. Using backbone Fibre Optics and CISCO switches, in WAPDA House all floors of
WAPDA House Lahore have been inter-linked enabling systematic sharing of hardware and
information. An internal mail server and intranet website is developed for Authority
information. Intranet web application contains the modules like Inventory for NTDC and
Distribution stores, MIS reports, News, Notices, Projects and Books.
To promote technical knowledge among the masses of this county, WAPDA Computer Centre
also established two most modern computer training Institutes at Mingora (Swat) and Quetta.
These institutes have now been shifted under the administrative control of PESCO and QESCO
respectively. The technical courses are being constantly monitored and whenever required,
changes are being made to keep them align with latest technology.
The Impact of IT on MEPCO
Company Strategy
IT creates new opportunities for innovation in services. Services which used to be delivered in
person can now be delivered over networks. Use of IT provides
Resequencing: including parallel processing of data-bases.
Simultaneity: making information instantly available in several systems (e.g. via
SAP).
Time Extension: offering 24 hour a day; 365 days a year service.
Portability: taking service and products closer to the user.
Reusability: using information captured for one purpose (e.g. transactions), and using
for others (e.g. customer billing)
Organization Culture
Newer types of IT such as electronic mail and groupware are creating significant changes in
the way that information flows around group ware, and between them and their consumers and
suppliers.
Data Management
With the help of database software, MEPCO stores all its relevant data on a database. This
infrastructure was designed as internal or external. An internal centralized system can only
be accessed with in the MEPCO while an external centralized system allows data to be
accessed outside the MEPCO using a remote (IP) internet protocol Address or a domain
name. In this case, employees or managers can use a company website to access relevant
company data by use of passwords. This data is not exposed to the public and search engines.
Communication
Information technology accounts in the development of communication technology. Services
like electronic mail make communication within and outside the MEPCO easy and first. Now
days email communication is a default communication technology used by every organization.

Applications of IT at MEPCO
MS Word
In MS Word, administrative documents are created and stored as files where information can
be entered, edited and formatted and saved electronically. MS Word is used to type letters,
memos, notices, fax cover sheets and envelopes for mailing or distribution.
MS Excel
MEPCO uses Excel spreadsheets to display financial information and other data relevant to the
running of the daily works. The most common use of Excel documents is to manage data
records.
MS Power Point
Power point is being used at MEPCO for training sessions, in meetings or whenever there is a
need of an initiative about something. Power point is an effective way to illustrate or emphasis
the points that are made in the proposals.
SAP
In December 2014, SAP was installed at MEPCO with the help of USAID at Chief Office
MEPCO Multan. After the installation of SAP, the whole system is gradually shifting towards
this new technology. SAP helped at the following areas:
Operations (Sales & Distribution, Materials Management)
Production Planning (Logistics Execution, and Quality Management)
Financials (Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Financial Supply Chain
Management).
Human Capital Management (Payroll, e-Recruiting).
SAP MM
SAP Material Management (MM) is the module on which I am currently working at MEPCO.
SAP MM is an important module of SAP ERP. SAP MM application module supports the
procurement and inventory functions occurring in day to day operations. The MM module
contains many aspects such as purchasing, goods receiving, material storage, consumption
based planning and inventory. SAP MM is integrated with other SAP modules such as Finance,
Controlling, Sales and Distribution, Quality management, Plant Maintenance, Production
planning and Warehouse Management.