Rs1.09 power tariff hike notified

Islamabad: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) notified on Wednesday a Rs1.09 per unit increase in electricity rates for distribution companies of Wapda.

The revised tariff to be recovered from consumers during the billing month of February would not apply to consumers of distribution companies using less than 50 units per month and to the Karachi Electric Supply Company, now renamed as K-Electric.

The decision was taken through a majority vote by Nepra’s vice chairman Khawaja Muhammad Naeem and member retired Maj Haroon Rashid as member Sindh Habibullah Khilji opposed it.

In two different notifications, Nepra said the actual fuel charges for October last year were worked out at Rs8.250 per unit compared with an approved reference fuel cost of Rs7.49 per unit. Therefore, the average cost of Wapda companies has been increased by 76 paisa per unit. Discos had sold 8.16 billion units to consumers in October.

Likewise, the actual fuel cost for November last year was determined at Rs7.3 per unit against corresponding determined fuel charges of Rs6.96 per unit. Hence, it approved an increase of 33 paisa per unit increase in fuel charges of Wapda companies. A total of 6.61 billion units were sold to consumers by distribution companies of Wapda during November.

Nepra said two adjustments would be passed on to consumers during the billing month of February 2014.

Under the automatic fuel adjustment formula Nepra is required to determine the difference of fuel cost every month and directly pass it on to consumers.