The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has put forward a proposal to increase the power tariff by Rs3.28 per unit for the period of October to March. This adjustment is part of the quarterly review process.
Upon receiving the requests from ex-Wapda distribution companies (XWDiscos) for periodic tariff adjustments, Nepra has sent the proposal to the federal government for approval. Once approved, Nepra will officially notify it.
The proposal states that Nepra will allow the recovery of Rs135,584 million from XWDiscos consumers over a period of six months, starting from October 2023 to March 2024. An additional charge of Rs3.28 will be applied per unit.
The same terms will be applicable to K-Electric (KE) consumers, as stated in the federal government’s policy guidelines. Nepra will determine the tariff rationalization for KE consumers, similar to those of XWDiscos, during the same period.
However, certain categories of industrial consumers will be exempted from this quarterly adjustment, as per a previous decision by Nepra.
Nepra has also directed the distribution companies to comply with the court orders while implementing the quarterly adjustments.
In July, Nepra had already raised the national average tariff by approximately Rs5 per unit, increasing the base unit power tariff from Rs24.82 to Rs29.78. On August 22, the government had proposed another increase of Rs3.55 per unit.
These constant price hikes in electricity and fuel have triggered protests and demonstrations throughout the country.