Nepra approves major power tariff hike for residential consumers from October

WEB DESK: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved a significant increase in electricity base rates for residential consumers, with hikes reaching up to 51 per cent.

According to the new tariff schedule, rates for consumers using up to 200 units—both protected and non-protected—will remain unchanged until September 2024. However, starting in October 2024, substantial increases will be implemented.

Protected consumers using up to 100 units per month will see their tariff rise from the current Rs7.74 to Rs11.69 per kWh, a 51 per cent increase effective from October 2024.

Those using between 101 and 200 units per month will experience a 41 per cent increase, with rates increasing from Rs10.06 to Rs14.16 per kWh. Nepra reports that more than 15.5 million consumers fall into this category.

For non-protected consumers, those using up to 100 units per month will face a 43 per cent increase, with rates rising from Rs16.48 to Rs23.59 per kWh. Consumers using between 101 and 200 units will see a 31 per cent increase, with rates going from Rs22.95 to Rs30.07 per kWh.

For consumers using more than 200 units, the tariff increase will range from 14 per cent to 26 per cent, effective from July 2024, with no further changes for the remainder of the fiscal year. Additionally, fixed charges ranging between Rs200 and Rs1,000 per kWh have been introduced for these categories.

Nepra held a public hearing on July 8 to address government demands to pass an additional burden of over Rs700 billion to electricity consumers during the current fiscal year by raising the average national tariff.

“The authority has no objection in approving the motion along with the subsequent addendum of the federal government,” Nepra stated in its final order.

Furthermore, Nepra approved an average increase of Rs3.29 per unit in the base electricity tariff, raising it to Rs33.07 per unit, up 11 per cent from the fiscal year 2023-24.

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