Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Already burdened power consumers likely to face power tariff hike by Rs 0.85 per unit increase in the electricity price on account of fuel charges adjustment (FCA) of February 2023.
According to details, CPPA on behalf of power distribution companies (DISCOs) except K-Electric has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to approve Rs0.8569 per kilowatt hour (kWh) under Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) of February, 2023.
NEPRA will conduct a hearing in this regard on March 30. Once approved, the increase will put an additional burden on already burdened power consumers.
The CPPA, in its application, has submitted that the total electricity generated with various fuels in the month of February 2023 was recorded at 7,756 gigawatts hours (GWh), at a basket price of Rs 8.0123 per unit. The total cost of energy was Rs 62,140 million.
Power generation from hydel was 2,052 GWh, or 26.46% of production, while coal-fired plants produced 1,091 GWh, or 14.07%, at a price of Rs 12.5706 per unit. Power generation from residual fuel oil (RFO) was 108 GWh, or 1.39% of total generation, at Rs 21.6733 per unit.
Gas-based plants produced 850 GWh, or 10.95%, at Rs10.0680 per unit, compared to power from regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) totalling 1,462 GWh, or 19.86%, at Rs 23.3602 per unit.
Production from mixed sources was 2 GWh at a price of Rs 6.0098 per unit; from bagasse 100 GWh, at Rs5.3584 per unit; from wind 92 GWh; from solar 82 GWh.
Generation from nuclear sources was 1,883 GWh, or 24.28% of the total generation, at Rs 1.0675per unit. Electricity imported from Iran accounted for 33 GWh at Rs 24.7285 per unit.
Data submitted by the CPPA to NEPRA also showed that net electricity delivered to DISCOs in February 2023 was 7,516 GWh at Rs 8.0689 per unit, the total price of which was Rs 60,648 million.
The CPPA in its tariff adjustment request advocated that the reference fuel charges for February 2023, for DISCOs were fixed at Rs 7.2120 per unit and an increase of Rs 0.8569/kWh over the reference fuel charges.
NEPRA, in a public notice, has invited all the interested and affected parties to raise written and oral objections at the public hearing.
Under the law, the regulator may make monthly adjustments in the approved tariff on account of any variations in fuel charges and policy guidelines.
