ISLAMABAD: Pakistani electricity consumers will absorb a Rs14.37 billion shock in their April power bills after the national grid’s purchasing agency acknowledged it charged households and factories nearly 25 percent less than the actual cost of fuel during February, a gap regulator is now moving to close.
The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) told the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Tuesday that February bills were calculated against a reference fuel cost of Rs6.73 per unit, while actual generation costs ran Rs8.37 per unit, a shortfall of Rs1.64 per unit. When multiplied across 7.43 billion units sold that month, it produces a base adjustment bill of Rs12.18 billion. With General Sales Tax applied, the total burden reaches Rs14.37 billion.
The hearing, chaired by Nepra Chairman Wasim Mukhtar, drew pointed questions from industry when manufacturer Aamir Sheikh demanded to know whether March’s fuel charge adjustment could reach Rs10 per unit, and said, “If the fuel price adjustment is really this high, we might as well shut the factories down.”
CPPA Managing Director Rehan Akhtar did not dispute the trajectory, pointing to volatile international energy markets. “When fuel gets expensive, that pressure has to come through,” he said.
The total power generation in February reached 7,696 gigawatt-hours at the cost of Rs62.75 billion, roughly Rs8.15 per unit, underscoring the scale of the pricing gap consumers are now being asked to cover.
The adjustment, if approved, would apply to K-Electric consumers as well, extending the financial hit beyond the national grid to Karachi’s millions of power users. Nepra will issue its final decision in a few days.
