The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Monday allowed K-Electric to hike its power tariff by Rs9.66 per unit on account of fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for May 2022, reported Aaj News. Nepra will release the notification after due diligence.

K-Electric had sought an increase of Rs11.34 per unit, in order to pass on financial burden of Rs22.65 billion to consumers for May 2022.

During a hearing, Nepra officials asked why K-Electric was not purchasing cheaper electricity, and offered their support to connect K-Electric with the provincial and federal governments for this purpose.

Nepra public hearing today: KE seeks Rs11.33/unit tariff hike

Nepra also asked why K-Electric was not using cheap oil that it had purchased for power generation.

Officials of the power distributor replied that the entity was using to provide electricity during peak hours, which are from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM, and that the power tariff is significantly higher during these hours.

According to K-Electric, FCA calculation for May 2022 was based on CPPA-G’s requested rate for the month and is subject to adjustment based on determination to be issued by Nepra.

The power utility, in its FCA adjustment request, told the regulator that its dispatches are as per economic merit order (EMO) from its own generating units (with the available fuel resources) and import from external sources.