ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Tuesday approved a 3.07 rupees per unit increase in electricity prices, applicable to all power distribution companies.
In a notification, the regulator said that the adjustment should be shown separately in the consumers’ bills on the basis of units billed to the consumers in October 2023 in the billing month of December 2023.
NEPRA has notified the hike on account of variations in fuel charges, the notification said, in a move that will impact millions of the electricity distribution companies’ (Discos) inflation-weary consumers.
The hike will not be applicable to Karachi-Electric (KE) consumers. The notification added that electric vehicle charging stations and lifeline consumers will also not be impacted by the hike.
The power rates are persistently on the rise in Pakistan as the cash-strapped country tries to curb its circular debt and meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions.
The IMF laid forth several conditions — including an increase in power and gas tariffs — for Pakistan to unlock crucial funds that allowed the government to avert a looming default on its debt payments.
Startling NEPRA Findings
The latest increase comes on the heels of startling NEPRA findings, wherein it was discovered that KE and other power-providing companies were charging millions of consumers excessively.
A statement issued by the power regulator said that the authority took serious notice of the complaints that were reported from all over the country regarding inflated, excessive, and wrong bills charged by the distribution companies to the consumers during two months, July and August.
