KARACHI – With electricity bills already denting household budgets, consumers across Pakistan, including Karachi, could soon be hit with yet another increase in power tariffs.
For millions of families already struggling with inflation, expensive utilities, and rising cost, any further hike in electricity prices is likely to add to financial pressure.
Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has submitted a request to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) seeking an increase of 82 paisas per unit under the monthly fuel cost adjustment mechanism. NEPRA is scheduled to hear the petition tomorrow. If approved, the proposed adjustment would place an additional burden of nearly Rs12 billion on electricity consumers across the country.
CPPA said Pakistan generated 12.638 billion units of electricity during May. The actual average fuel cost of electricity generation stood at Rs9.25 per unit, compared with the reference fuel cost of Rs8.43 per unit, prompting the request for a tariff revision.
The agency also shared the country’s electricity generation mix for May with Hydropower at 33.27%, Imported coal at 13.54%, Local coal at 11.66%, natural gas: 8.31% and Furnace oil at 0.16%. The remaining electricity was generated from other available energy sources within the national grid.
The proposed increase comes at a time when electricity tariffs in Pakistan have remained high in recent years due to factors such as fuel cost adjustments, capacity payments, and broader energy-sector challenges. While some recent relief measures have been introduced, monthly fuel cost adjustments continue to affect consumers depending on changes in generation costs.
NEPRA will now examine the CPPA’s figures and hear stakeholders before issuing its final decision on whether the 82-paisa-per-unit increase will be passed on to consumers.
