The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved increase in the rates of electricity for the month of July. According to media reports, the approval for a rise of 0.85 paisas per unit of electricity has been made on account of fuel adjustment charges. Much to the frustration of the common man, the decision has come just after a massive hike in price of POL products. The increase in electricity charges will be implemented with effect from March next year.
However, consumers of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and those consuming less than 50 units will be exempted from the abovementioned rise in the price of electricity. The electricity shortfall in the country has again jumped to 5,200MW due to the government’s failure to pay dues to oil marketing companies. According to the sources, power plants have been supplied with 24,000 tones of furnace oil instead of 39,000 tones.
The country is producing 12,340MW of electricity against a demand of 17,200MW. Load shedding hours in urban areas have increased to 14-16 hours, while rural areas suffer 16-18 hours of outages.
