Govt proposes revising electricity tariff, fixed charges

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The federal government has proposed significant revisions to electricity tariffs and fixed charges, which will impact both protected and non-protected domestic consumers.

After receiving approval from the federal cabinet, the proposal has been submitted to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) for review. NEPRA is scheduled to hold a hearing on February 10 to assess the changes.

The government has recommended a decrease in electricity tariffs for domestic consumers using between 301 and 700 units of electricity per month. In addition, it has suggested introducing fixed charges for households consuming up to 300 units per month, a change from the current policy that only applies fixed charges to non-protected consumers who use more than 300 units.

Under the proposed plan, protected consumers who use up to 100 units per month would face a fixed charge of Rs200, while those using up to 200 units would be charged Rs300.

For non-protected consumers, the suggested fixed charges are Rs275 for those using up to 100 units, Rs300 for those using up to 200 units, and Rs350 for those consuming up to 300 units.

The proposal also includes increases in fixed charges for non-protected consumers who use higher amounts of electricity. For example, non-protected consumers using up to 400 units would see their fixed charges rise by Rs200, bringing the total charge to Rs400.

Similarly, for those using up to 500 units, the charge would increase by Rs100, bringing the total to Rs500. Consumers using up to 600 units would face a Rs75 increase, raising their fixed charges to Rs675.

For those consuming up to 700 units, the charge would decrease by Rs125 to Rs675, and for consumers using more than 700 units, the fixed charges would decrease by Rs325, bringing them down to Rs675.

Alongside the revisions to fixed charges, the government has also proposed reductions in electricity tariffs for domestic users.

For households using up to 400 units per month, the tariff would decrease by Rs1.53 per unit. Those using up to 500 units would see a reduction of Rs1.25 per unit, while users consuming up to 600 units would receive a Rs1.40 per unit cut. For households using up to 700 units, the reduction would be Rs 0.91 per unit, and for those using more than 700 units, the cut would be Rs0.49 per unit.

For commercial consumers with loads of 5 kW or more, the government has proposed a reduction of Rs1.15 per unit in the electricity tariff. In the industrial sector, the proposed reduction could be as much as Rs5 per unit.