NEPRA allows govt to reimpose surcharges on electricity consumers: report

0
200

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), In line with a commitment it made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Wednesday allowed the federal government to re-impose three surcharges on electricity consumers, according to a local media outlet.

A total of Rs1.55 per unit would be charged to consumers paying their bills regularly to finance the Rs110 billion worth of theft.

The regulator, while allowing the surcharges, noted that they had to allow them as decided by the federal government under section 31(5) of the NEPRA law but the existing tariff would remain unchanged.

The two surcharges are Neelum-Jhelum Surcharge at a rate of 10 paisa per unit, aimed to generate about Rs7.5bn per annum, and Financing Cost Surcharge at a rate of 43 paisa per unit, to ensure collection of Rs30-32bn for debt servicing of the Power Holding Private Limited.

The third surcharge, namely the Tariff Rationalisation Surcharge, levied at an average rate of Rs1.02 per unit is meant to reduce overall power subsidy on the budget and to keep the tariff uniform across the country through cross-subsidy.