The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has issued a notification announcing an increase in electricity rates for Karachi by Rs10.1 per unit. The hike is attributed to the monthly fuel adjustment mechanism.
The notification details the incremental charges over the upcoming months. Consumers will see an additional charge of Rs2.68 per unit in June, Rs3.11 per unit in July, Rs3.22 per unit in August, and an extra Re1 per unit in September.
However, this increase will not apply to lifeline consumers of K-Electric (KE) or vehicle charging stations.
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KE had initially requested this fuel adjustment increase to cover the period from July 2023 to March 2024. The additional charges are expected to impose a burden of over Rs20 billion on consumers.
NEPRA's decision came after a hearing on KE's request for a nine-month extension of the monthly fuel adjustment charges. Consequently, KE customers will be subject to the increased rates from June to September.
This development highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Karachi's electricity consumers amid fluctuating fuel costs and the broader economic impacts of energy price adjustments.
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Earlier, NEPRA had announced an increase in electricity prices by Rs3.33 per unit for non-Karachi consumers, placing an additional burden of over Rs35 billion on consumers. This adjustment came as part of April's monthly fuel adjustment, according to a notification issued by the authority.
The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) had initially requested a price hike of Rs3.49 per unit, but NEPRA has settled on a slightly lower increase. The new rates would be reflected in this month's electricity bills.
On June 4 also, Nepra had issued a notification announcing an increase in electricity prices as part of the quarterly adjustment for the current financial year. The price hike was set to impact consumers over the next three months.
According to the notification, electricity prices rose by Rs1.90 per unit for the month of June. For the months of July and August, there was to be an increase of 93 paisas per unit. This adjustment means that consumers will experience higher electricity bills during the period of June to August 2024.
