NEPRA approves Rs7.90 hike in power tariff.

ISLAMABAD -- The National Electric and Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Monday approved a hike of Rs7.90 in power tariff on account of fuel adjustment charges for May.

According to NEPRA officials, the prices of petroleum products significantly rose over the past few months in the global market. They added the cost would have spiked further had power plants used expensive fuels.

The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) officials stated that the cost of coal also increased in light of the war between Russia and Ukraine and added that LNG cargoes were available at a cost of $42 per unit by the end of the July, but Pakistan could not purchase them due to its financial hardships.

The NEPRA chairman said the regulatory was in a fix as if it did not produce electricity, then there would be load-shedding and if it does generate power using imported fuel then that would lead to inflation. 'The plants that could have produced a unit for Rs6-7 were opposed,' they claimed. The chairman urged the government to refrain from installing plants that ran on imported fuels.

On June 17, the authority approved an increase of Rs1.55 per unit...