ISLAMABAD - Miseries of over-burdened power consumers would worsen in the days ahead as National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved Re1 per unit hike in the power tariff, which would be effective from February 2014.
Nepra’s hearing was held here under voice chairman Khawaja Muhammad Naeem over the request of Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA). During the course of hearing, the CPPA pleaded to the regulatory authority (Nepra) that reference fuel cost for power generation in December 2013 was Rs 7.86 per unit while actual cost remained at Rs 8.87 per unit. CPPA in its petition filed before Nepra also advocated that cost of power sold to the consumers was 59.43 billion rupees as 6.7 billion units. And, cost of transmission losses remained at Rs28Crore and 10 Lakh during above said one-month duration.
Raising serious concerns over million rupees worth growing transmission losses of the power sector, the regulator instructed the power sector to take concrete measures to lower the losses in the best interest of country and heavily burdened power consumers of the country. Voice chairman Nepra Khawaja Muhammad Naeem said that high cost of power generation during December was only because of decreased hydel power generation. And, due to the initiation of annual silt removing campaign, dependency on oil run power plants increased therefore generation cost of power was increased.
He also made it loud and clear that Nepra’s approved hike in the power tariff would be included in the monthly bills of February. However, this increase would not be enforced on lifeline consumers of domestic category who consume 50 units in a month, and the consumers of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO). It is not out of place to say that so far no let up to the miseries of already burdened power consumers is in the sight while the Nepra by jacking up the power price on account of fuel price adjustment is adding to the miseries of consumers on monthly basis. By approving above Rs1/unit hike in the power price, the regulator has dropped inflationary bomb to the already burdened power consumers. The consumers would soon start bearing the brunt of ‘Tsunami’ of inflation due to power tariff hike that would ultimately cause further increase in the prices of daily use items besides inflated monthly bills of electricity.