NEPRA to take up Pakistan govt's review plea against Rs1.79/unit base power tariff hike

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will take up Pakistan government’s review petition against the recent increase in electricity prices, seeking reconsideration of the Rs1.79 per unit hike in the average base power tariff.

The federal government has filed a review petition regarding the implementation of a uniform electricity tariff.

In this regard, the Power Division has approached the the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) seeking the application of a uniform tariff for state-run distribution companies as well as K-Electric.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority is scheduled to hear the government’s petition today. The application requests that the uniform tariff be applied to K-Electric in line with government-owned DISCOs.

The petition also urged the authority to review the base tariff approved with effect from 1 January.

Officials stated that any potential change in electricity prices will be decided after the hearing, while the final determination on the power tariff will be issued through an official government notification.

Separately, four years after the massive nationwide blackout, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) officially held the National Grid Company and the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) responsible for the failure that plunged Pakistan into darkness.

According to the reports, both organisations were fined Rs25 million each, with orders to deposit the penalty within 15 days.

The regulator stated that on January 8, 2021, Pakistan remained without power for nearly 20 hours, yet the National Grid Company and CPPA failed to restore electricity in time.

The decision further noted that major power interruptions were also reported in 2021, 2022 and 2023, highlighting repeated system vulnerabilities.