NEPRA approves up to Rs4.46 per unit increase for K-Electric consumers for two months

 The Nat­ional Electric Power Regu­latory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday approved up to Rs4.46 per unit increase in electricity rates for K-Electric consumers for two months!

The latest hike comes after the Rs3.28 per unit increase that was allowed last week by the regulator for the KE consumers as part of a uniform national tariff hike to be charged across the country for six months — October 2023 to March 2024.

NEPRA okayed power utility K-Electric’s tariff hike as a Q1 adjustment of the previous financial year!

“[The] instant motion is being filed with respect to consumer-end tariff recommendations of KE [K-Electric], under Section 7, 31(4) and 31(7) of the NEPRA Act read with Rule 17 of the NEPRA Rules so as to reconsider and issue for KE, modified uniform variable charge, to maintain uniform tariff across the country and to recover the revenue requirements of KE determined by the authority keeping in view the proposed targeted subsidy and cross-subsidies,” the notification reads.

“The authority is, accordingly, requested to issue [a] separate SoT [schedule of tariff] with the prospective application of applicable uniform rates after incorporating tariff rationalization i.e. Rs.0.4689/kWh for all categories of consumers of K-Electric, except lifeline consumers. The adjustment shall be applicable on the consumption of April, May [and] June 2023, to be recovered from consumers in Sept, Oct and Nov 2023, respectively,” it added.

“The MoE further provided policy guidelines issued by the federal government to NEPRA for [the] uniform application of quarterly adjustments on XWDISCOs and K-Electric consumers, that in the onward quarterly tariff determinations of XWDISCOs, NEPRA shall also determine the same tariff rationalization to be recovered from K-Electric consumers with same applicability period, keeping in view financial sustainability of the sector and uniform tariff policy of the federal government,” NEPRA stated.

“In light of [these] policy guidelines, the MoE requested the authority to reconsider its decision dated 22.05.2023, and issue [a] separate SoT with the prospective application of applicable uniform rates after incorporating [the] tariff rationalization requested in [a] motion dated 17.03.2023 (Rs1.4874 to Rs4.4547/kWh for different consumer categories, except lifeline consumers),” it concluded.