Nepra notifies increase in power tariff for Karachi

KESC to charge Rs2.7 per unit more in August and September bills.

ISLAMABAD:

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday notified power tariff increase of Rs2.68 per unit for Karachiites on account of fuel adjustment charges during January to March 2012.

KESC will charge increase from all type of consumers except lifeline and shall be shown separately in the consumer bills of August and September 2012 on the basis of units billed for the months of January to March.

According to notifications issued on Friday, Nepra has allowed KESC to charge 1.04 per unit raise in power tariff on account of fuel adjustment for January, Rs0.04 per unit for February and Rs1.60 per unit for March.

According to the decision, for January, Nepra says that KESC had spent Rs289.84 million on power generation from its own resources and Rs682.233 million on power from external resources. KESC authorities said that it had sold 940.82 units to consumers and faced variation in fuel price by Rs1.03 per unit. KESC submitted that furnace oil cost increased to Rs64,758.91 per ton in January from Rs64,745.94 per ton in December 2011.

Gas price also increased to Rs507.86 per Million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) against the preceding Rs447.14 per MMBTU. KESC further said that it had purchased around 80% of its total power purchases from National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) which increased its rate to Rs9.19 per unit in January from Rs7.15 per unit.

For March, KESC said that cost of power from its own resources stood at Rs716.398 million, Rs1.069.5 million from external resources. KESC sold 1,121.602 units to consumers and faced variation in fuel price by Rs159.224 per unit.

It further said that furnace oil price hiked to Rs71,843.20 per ton in March from Rs64,745.94 in December 2011. KESC submitted that gas price also increased to Rs5076.86 per MMBTU from Rs447.14 MMBTU owing to application of Gas and Infrastructure Cess by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. It purchased 79% of its total power purchases from NTDC which increased its price to Rs9.552 per unit in March from Rs7.15 per unit.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2012.