Nepra okays Rs3.03 per unit tariff hike for Karachi power consumers

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday announced a hike of Rs3.03 per unit for the K-Electric consumers under fuel charges adjustment (FCA) of July 2024.

The revised tariff will be applied to electricity bills for December 2024, as per the notification.

The new rates of electricity shall be applicable to all categories of consumers excluding Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS), lifeline and prepaid metering consumers, it added.

Earlier, the sole power provider in the metropolis — KE — had sought a Rs3.9 per unit hike in tariff for July’s fuel price adjustment.

This hike was approved a day after Nepra announced a refund of Re0.8555 per unit to power consumers on their October bills who had paid higher electricity rates in August 2024 under its monthly fuel cost adjustment mechanism.

According to a notification issued on Thursday, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has sought a 57 paisa per unit decrease in the tariff for the said period.

The power regulator said the decision would apply to all the consumer categories except lifeline consumers, domestic users using up to 300 units, agriculture consumers and EVCS, consumers of all the power distribution companies (Discos) except consumers of K-Electric and pre-paid electricity consumers of all categories.

On September 26, the Nepra held a public hearing to make the decision in this regard. Then, it officially notified it on October 24.

It should be noted that the CPPA petitioned Nepra seeking reduction of Re0.5755 per unit on account of fuel cost adjustment (FCA). The regulator has permitted a further release of Re0.8555 per unit to customers.