Nepra allows KE to collect additional up to Rs4.45/unit from consumers in 4 months.

ISLAMABAD -- The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday allowed the K-Electric to collect an additional up to Rs4.45 per unit, on account of quarterly tariff adjustments (QTAs), from the consumers during the first four months of the ongoing calendar year (January to April 2023). However, the average increase will be Rs3.2116 per unit, and it would be recovered from the consumers in their utility bills for Jan-April 2023 based on the electricity units consumed during the months of October, November, and December 2022. NEPRA has issued the decision on the federal government motion submitted to NEPRA with respect to recommendation of consumer-end tariff for K-Electric. As per practice, the government maintains a uniform tariff across the country and generally the differential is adjusted through subsidy. The Ministry of Energy has therefore requested for application of quarterly adjustment on K-Electric consumers as applicable for XWDISCOs. The federal government has filed motion to NEPRA under section 7 and 31 of the NEPRA Act, 1997 read with rule 17 of NEPRA Tariff (Standards and Procedure) Rules, 1998, for application of quarterly adjustment on K-Electric consumers as applicable for XWDISCOs. During hearing, NEPRA was told that the federal government is providing a subsidy of Rs18/ unit to Karachiites on electricity and now the government wants to reduce the subsidy. As per the decision residential power consumers who consume up to 300 units of electricity a month (excluding lifeline consumers) will be charged an additional Rs1.4874/ unit, and consumers of over 300 units will be charged Rs3.2116/ unit. Likewise, the general supply tariff for commercial consumers of sanctioned loads of less than 5kW will be additionally charged Rs2.6847/unit and for 5kW and above, it will be Rs4.4547/unit. For the time of use (ToU) consumers, electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS), general services, the industrial sector, single point supply, Agriculture tube wells, street lights, and residential colonies attached to industrial premises will all be charged with an additional Rs4.4547/units in these four months. It is to be noted that on October 14, 2022, the Authority determined the periodic adjustment in tariff for the fourth quarter of FY2021-22 for XWDlSCOs and allowed the positive quarterly adjustment of Rs93.96 billion to be recovered from all categories of consumers except lifeline consumers, in a period of four months with...