Nepra approves up to Rs 4.49 per unit tariff increase for KE consumers

National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved an increase in tariff for K-Electric (KE) customers of up to Rs 4.49 per unit.

Now, KE consumers will be paying up to Rs 4.49 per unit extra in their electricity bills in January 2023.

In a statement, Nepra said that it has made a decision about the federal government’s request for a uniform tariff for discos and K-electric.

Authority has approved an increase of Rs 1.49 per unit to Rs 4.49 per unit in different categories of K Electric.KE Duplicate Bill | How To Check Online

The federal government had asked that K-rates Electric match those of DISCOs.
On December 27, 2022, the public hearing was held at the request of the federal government.

Nepra had approved an average increase of Rs 3.30 per unit for the fourth quarter adjustment for FY 2021-22 for DISCOs.

Nepra said that the federal government wanted the approval of a uniform price increase for K Electric customers.

This change will be added to the price of units used in October, November, December 2022, and January 2023, Nepra said.

This change will show up on bills for 4 months from January to April 2023, Nepra said.

During the public hearing, the Federal Government repeated what it said in the Motion and said that NEPRA determined the quarterly adjustment of XWDISCOs for the 4th quarter of FY 2021-22.

In response to a notice from XWDISCOs, the Ministry of Energy filed the Motion regarding the recommendation of consumer end tariff to charge the same amount from every K-Electric consumer to make tariffs uniform.

Energy Ministry said that XWDISCO’s quarterly changes are decided and announced by the Authority, so they happen automatically.

But in the case of K-Electric, in order to make the tariffs the same, approval is needed from the Federal Government.

Mr. Bilwani, an intervener, didn’t support the Motion by saying that K-Electric isn’t a Disco in the strict sense because it does all three things that power companies do (generation, transmission, and distribution) and was never part of the old WAPDA.
Since 2002, it has had its own way of setting rates, which is governed by NEPRA.

He said that NEPRA only controls how the rest of the Discos set their prices in terms of distribution.

If the GOP/Federal Government wants to pass on all of the quarterly and any other NTDC/CPPA-G adjustments to KE customers, it should first take over the generation part of KE with all of its assets and liabilities, and then any leftover money should be applied to the 24% share capital it owns in K-electric, he said.