Gov’t raises electricity price for commercial, agricultural consumers

ISLAMABAD: The federal government sanctioned an increase in electricity prices across various consumer categories, including commercial, agricultural, and large-scale consumers.

For commercial consumers, the basic price of electricity will rise by Rs 8.04 per unit, bringing the cost to Rs 77.15 per unit starting July.

Read more: Govt withdraws increase in electricity tariff for up to 200 units

Agricultural consumers will experience a hike of Rs 6.62 per unit. This sets their tariff at Rs 46.83 per unit from July onwards.

General service consumers will see their electricity tariff rise by Rs 6.98 per unit. It will reach Rs 61.03 per unit starting July.

Large-scale consumers will face an increase of Rs 5.51 per unit, making their tariff Rs 59.96 per unit from July.

Meanwhile, industrial consumers will maintain their current basic electricity tariff, as per the decision conveyed to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) by the Federal Cabinet through the Ministry of Energy (Power Division).

Read more: Will IESCO’s AMI meters put an end to over-billing, electricity theft?

Earlier, the federal government announced it will cancel a recent electricity price increase for consumers using up to 200 units per month from July to September 2024.

The decision was approved by the Prime Minister and the cabinet. It included a Rs50 billion subsidy to support lower tariffs for economically vulnerable groups.

On July 1, the federal cabinet had approved raising electricity tariffs by up to Rs 7.12 per unit. This would have applied to both, protected and non-protected consumers within the 200-unit usage bracket. The move was aimed to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions.

However, it raised concerns about worsening the cost of living and business sustainability across the country.