Govt seeks over Rs6 per unit increase in KE tariff.

ISLAMABAD -- The government has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to increase K-Electric's consumer tariff by up to Rs6.02 per unit under two past quarterly adjustments and allow its recovery from consumers in three months - April to June - to ensure national uniform tariff.

The government has already notified an equivalent increase in tariff for consumers of ex-Wapda Discos. For fulfilling the formality, Nepra will hold a public hearing on April 3 to discuss the hike in KE tariff.

Under the request made by the Power Division, the tariff for up to 200 units of consumption in the domestic category would increase by Rs3.03 per unit during April and May and then Rs1.55 per unit in June. For consumption between 201 and 700 units per month, the rates would go up by Rs4.76 per unit in April and May and by 1.55 per unit in June 2023.

For all other categories, the tariff increase would be Rs6.02 per unit in these three months.

The Power Division has filed two separate motions before Nepra requesting an application of up to Rs4.45 per unit for the first quarter of the FY23 (July to September) and Rs1.55 per unit for the second quarter of FY22 (October to December) to the consumers of KE.

The average hike of the KE consumers for the first quarter of FY23 is Rs3.21 per unit, while it is Rs1.55 per unit for the second quarter of FY22. The Power Division has asked Nepra to issue separate schedules of tariff for these two quarters so that recoveries could be ensured before the close of the current fiscal year in line with budgetary subsidies.

For the application of rates charged from ex-Discos consumers for the first quarter of FY23, to be allowed to recover from consumers of K-Electric based on consumption of...