Govt puts another burden on inflation-hit masses as electricity price hiked by Rs7.5 per unit

Putting more burden on already inflation-hit masses, the caretaker government has increased the price of electricity tariff by Rs7.5 per unit on account of fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for the month of January.

The decision was taken by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) at the request of the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) on Monday night.

The regulator allowed the addition of Rs7.5 to the electricity bill of March.

A week ago, CPPI filed a petition in NEPRA seeking a hike of Rs7.13, which prompted the regulator to investigate the request.

The Nepra report, following the probe, revealed that distribution companies had to bear the loss of Rs403 billion due to less collection in line losses.

In a petition, the discos claimed that FCA for January was set at Rs7.49 per unit, but the actual cost was Rs14.62. 

The hike will applied to all consumer categories, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS), and lifeline consumers.

The NEPRA's decision will put a burden of Rs55 billion to the masses.