Power consumers to be repaid Re0.31/unit in Jan bills

ISLAMABAD: Owing to decreased oil prices in international market, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has asked the power distribution companies (DISCOs) to reimburse more than Rs0.31/unit to the power consumers in their electricity bills of January 2019.

The power regulator decided this cut on account of fuel price adjustment for November 2018 in a public hearing held here on Thursday. After this cut, DISCOs would accumulatively reimburse around two billion rupees to the power consumers in January.

The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G) on behalf of DISCOs presented the case before the regulator. In its petition the CPPA said it had charged consumers a reference tariff of Rs5.0497 per unit in November while the actual fuel cost turned out was less than the amount i.e. 4.71/unit charged and hence it asked the regulator that it should be allowed to decrease the rate by Rs0.3338 per unit.

CCPA also requested to allow it adjustment of five billion rupees, but Nepra made conditional that after verification of their claims it would take decision on it. This adjustment will be available to domestic consumers throughout Pakistan, except for K-Electric consumers. Domestic consumers using up to 300 units per month will also be excluded from the adjustment. Contrary to previously more use of high speed diesel and furnace oil for power generation, this month there was zero use. Besides, furnace oil use for electricity generation was also less than a percent in total power generation pie.

Total energy generated in November 2018 was 7545.63 GWh at a total price of Rs29.76 billion which is Rs3.9437 per unit. Of the total generation of 7545.63 GWh, the net electricity delivered to DISCOs was 7318.16 GWh at Rs34.51 billion with transmission losses of 3.01 percent.

As per data the total energy generation from all sources in November 2018 was recorded at 7545.63 GWh which was 27 percent lower than 9573.87 GWh of energy generated in October with the cost of Rs5.4448 per unit. According to the data provided to Nepra the share of hydel power generation in November was 2563.97 GWh and it contributed about 33.98 percent. The share of re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) was reduced by more than five percent from 22.92 percent in October to 17.23 percent in November. The energy generated from RLNG was 1299.75 GWh and it was added with the cost of Rs10.1363 per unit.

Residual Fuel Oil (RFO)-based electricity generation was 5.75 GWh in November and contributed 0.08 percent electricity at Rs16.53 per unit.

The total generation, in November, from local gas based electricity was 1511.98 GWh accounting for 20.04 percent of total generation and its cost of electricity was Rs5.18 per unit.

Coal based generation was increased from 11.65 percent in October to 13.83 percent in November. The total generation from coal based energy was 1043.72 GWh and its cost per unit was Rs 6.5806. The share of Nuclear energy in the national energy mix was increased to 10.88 percent in November from 9.27 percent. The fuel cost of the nuclear energy was 95.37 paisa per unit. Baggasse based electricity contributed 59.70 GWh or 0.79 percent at cost of Rs6.16 per unit.

The share of electricity imported from Iran was increased from 0.48 percent in October to 0.52 percent in November. The cost of the Iranian electricity was Rs11.57 per unit. The share of wind energy was increased from 0.98 percent in October to 1.68 percent in November at zero fuel cost. While 0.64 percent contribution came from solar energy at no cost. Mixed Energy also contributed 0.34 percent electricity to the national grid at the cost of Rs 6.91 per unit.