ISLAMABAD: Power distribution companies (Discos) in Pakistan have recommended to put additional financial burden on consumers ahead of the fourth quarter adjustment in electricity tariffs, an official statement said on Thursday, adding that they hope to recover Rs146 billion ($487 million) in the coming months.
Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) raised tariffs by Rs4.96 per unit in July to meet one of the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) while approving a short-term $3 billion bailout package for the country.
NEPRA periodically adjusts consumer-end tariffs after getting input from distribution companies which suggest different figures on the basis of their revenue requirements.
According to a statement released by the regulatory authority, its chairman, Wasim Mukhtar, was currently evaluating the recommendations these companies.
“Discos have submitted their applications to the authority on a fourth quarter basis,” said the statement. “They have requested for a recovery of Rs146 billion. Under the request, the increase per unit will be Rs5.4.”
Residential, commercial and industrial consumers in Pakistan have been complaining of high cost of electricity in the country.
Earlier this month, local industrialists in Karachi staged a protest demonstration, warning that high energy tariffs had led to a 30 percent increase in their production cost.
The rising electricity tariffs have also affected other businesses, with exporters saying that their products have become uncompetitive in international market and retailers complaining about reduced profit margins due to high overheads.
