The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has announced a substantial hike in electricity rates for Karachi, increasing the tariff by Rs10.1 per unit. This adjustment, part of the monthly fuel adjustment mechanism, will be rolled out incrementally over the next few months.
According to the notification issued by NEPRA, consumers in Karachi will face additional charges as follows: Rs2.68 per unit in June, Rs3.11 per unit in July, Rs3.22 per unit in August, and an extra Re1 per unit in September. Importantly, this increase will not impact lifeline consumers of K-Electric (KE) or vehicle charging stations.
KE had initially requested this increase to cover costs from July 2023 to March 2024. The decision is expected to impose a burden of over Rs20 billion on consumers in Karachi. NEPRA’s decision follows a hearing on KE’s request for a nine-month extension of the monthly fuel adjustment charges, resulting in the approved hikes for the period from June to September.
This development underscores the challenges faced by Karachi’s electricity consumers amid fluctuating fuel costs and the broader economic impacts of energy price adjustments.
In a related development, NEPRA had previously announced an increase in electricity prices by Rs3.33 per unit for non-Karachi consumers, which imposed an additional burden of over Rs35 billion. This adjustment, part of April’s monthly fuel adjustment, was slightly lower than the Rs3.49 per unit increase initially requested by the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA). These new rates are reflected in this month’s electricity bills.
Further compounding the situation, NEPRA issued another notification on June 4, detailing an increase in electricity prices as part of the quarterly adjustment for the current financial year. This adjustment will affect consumers over the next three months, with prices rising by Rs1.90 per unit for June and by 93 paisas per unit for July and August. Consequently, consumers will face higher electricity bills from June to August 2024.
These series of increases highlight the ongoing financial pressures on electricity consumers across Pakistan, driven by rising fuel costs and regulatory adjustments aimed at addressing the economic challenges within the energy sector.
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