Power prices to rise by Rs1.25 per unit

Pakistani technicians of the Karachi Electric Corporation work on a high voltage line in Karachi on May 30, 2018. Photo: AFP The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved an increase in the price of electricity of Rs1.25 per unit. In order to adjust May’s fuel prices, the central power purchasing agency asked Nepra for an increase of Rs1.32 per unit, but the power regulator allowed only Rs1.25 per unit. The authority expressed its annoyance that furnace oil was used to generate electricity instead of gas. Nepra Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa member Himayatullah Khan said that using furnace oil to generate electricity resulted in a cost of Rs12.47 per unit. The authority wants independent power producers to be provided more gas so they can generate electricity faster. In Pakistan, 25,000 megawatts of electricity is wasted every month, resulting in consumers having to pay Rs32 billion extra. According to official documents, on June 25, 18,837 megawatts of electricity was generated but only 16,190 megawatts reached consumers’ homes. The reason for this is the poor electricity transmission network.