PPPP opposes 70 paisa per unit additional surcharge on power consumers

ISLAMABAD: Opposing the government’s decision to impose 70 paisa per unit on the power consumers of Punjab and Sindh for next 25 years, the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) while has decided to take up this issue in Parliament.

The PPP Parliamentarians legislators Syed Naveed Qamar, Shazia Marri, Nafisa Shah, Imran Zafar Leghari, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah and Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakharni moved the adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat on Monday to discuss the massive additional charge of 70 paisa per unit for nest 25 years.

The PPPP legislators were of opinion that the massive additional burden of 70 paisa per unit will put further burden on the already burdened consumers who were paying hefty sums in their electricity bills under various surcharges.

The adjournment motion stated that it was heartrending that in spite of providing promised relief, the government was creating more difficulties for masses by imposing various surcharge, sending inflated bills, non-provision of budgetary subsidy to farmers and inability to control transmission and line losses.

“It is very serious matter needing immediate discussion on the floor of the house,” the motion said.The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra)  has granted Rs0.70/unit (kWh) electricity tariff to the country’s first ever 878km Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line to evacuate more than 4000 Megawatts of coal-based electricity from projects in Sindh province.

According to official calculation, the consumers in entire Pakistan will have to pay this tariff in their electricity bills once the commercial operation date (COD) is reached. Although, this 0.7/unit will be charged on the 4000 MWs transportation, the impact on the end consumers will be less than 10 paisa a unit in their bills over the 25 years. Over the span of 25 years, the total collection from consumers through this tariff will be around Rs200 billion.

The project is included in the priority projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).A subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) i.e. China Electric Power Equipment and Technical Company Limited (CET) will lay the transmission line on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis in 27 months.