NEPRA’s nod sought for power hike
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has sought permission from the National Electricity Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to impose a surcharge of Rs 1.52 per unit on consumers of K-Electric, Karachi’s sole power supplier.
The government wants to recover Rs 24.5 billion from K-Electric consumers, which must be repaid within 12 months by levying a surcharge.
The electricity regulatory authority may allow the inclusion of the requested surcharge in the tariff schedule (SoT) determined for the quarter between April and June 2022, or it may be included in the last one determined by it. Nepra can also release it as a separate SoT.
The federal government has filed a petition regarding the recommendation of K-Electric’s consumer rate under section 31 of the Nepra Act, 1997 read with rule 17 of the Nepra Rate Rules (Standards and Procedures), 1998 for the surcharge.
The government requested a public hearing from the electricity regulator in order to make detailed comments. In order to make a fair and informed decision, and at the request of the federal government, Nepra decided to hold a hearing on the matter on August 15.
The authority informed all stakeholders, interested parties or stakeholders, as well as the public, that it would hold a public hearing on the 15th of the month in question. The participants and interve NEPRA’s nod sought for power hikenors would give their opinions and observations regarding the levying of the additional tax.
Earlier, the Cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (EKC) approved a surcharge of Rs 1.52 per unit to be collected from K-Electric consumers over 12 months. According to the government, it has to bear a cost of Rs 250.7 billion to support consumers in Karachi due to quarterly tariff adjustments. The government requested a public hearing from the electricity regulator in order to make detailed comments.
Published in EDP BLOGS on August 16,2023.
