September 25, 2018 (MLN): The decision to raise electricity tariffs has been deferred for a week and will be taken up in the next meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee.
According to media reports, the PTI government, in order to partially finance the rising circular debt, has been looking to increase electricity tariff by an average of Rs 2 per unit.
Sources reveal that the power division has been seeking an approval for the implementation of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s determination of an increase of Rs 3.90 per unit in consumer tariffs, which after taking into account the subsidy ensured in the budget, would result in a net increase in average consumer tariff of about Rs 2 per unit.
The meeting of the ECC held today also decided that the circular debt would not be recovered from consumers.
National Electric and Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), along with the Power Division has been instructed to prepare a comprehensive plan for the next five years.
In addition, instructions have been provided to the concerned authorities to ensure complete recovery from electricity bills, along with directions to minimize transmission and distribution losses.
