Pakistan: NEPRA approves increase of PKR 1.15 per unit hike in electricity price

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 20 (ANI): Pakistan's National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1.15 per unit increase in electricity prices, Pakistan-based Dawn News reported.
NEPRA has decided to increase the electricity price for the first quarter of 2023. It has sent the decision to increase the price of electricity to Pakistan's federal government for notification, according to Dawn News reported.
The NEPRA has taken the decision that additional collections will be made during January-March 2024. The rise in electricity prices will place an additional burden of PKR 22 million 30 crore on electricity consumers, according to Dawn News report.
Earlier this month, Pakistan's National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved a Pakistani rupee (PKR) 3.07 per unit increase in electricity prices, applicable to all power distribution companies, Geo News reported.
In a notification, the regulator said: "The [...] adjustment shall be shown separately in the consumers' bills on the basis of units billed to the consumers in the month of October 2023 in the billing month of December 2023.
"NEPRA has notified the increase on account of variations in fuel charges, the notification mentioned, in a move that will impact millions of the electricity distribution companies' (Discos) inflation-weary consumers, as per Geo News report.
The increase will not apply to Karachi-Electric (KE) consumers. Furthermore, electric vehicle charging stations (EVCs) and lifeline consumers will also not be impacted by the increase, according to the notification.
In Pakistan, power prices are persistently on the rise as the cash-strapped nation tries to curb its circular debt and meet the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). (ANI)