The government has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to allow increasing electricity rates by up to Rs11 per unit for high-end residential consumers across the country to bear the additional burden of consumers with lower consumption.
The rate approved by the federal government under the “tariff rebasing 2022-23” for consumers with a monthly consumption slab of 101-200 units and above is significantly higher than the Rs7.91 per unit increase in the uniform national average determined by the regulator a few weeks ago. Under the government directive, the base tariff for those consuming 101-200 would be increased by Rs7.21 per unit in phases to Rs18.95, while the rate for 201-300 per month would go up by Rs8.31 to Rs22.14 per unit. The rate for 301-400 units would increase by Rs4.30 per unit to Rs25.53, while the rate for 401-500 units would increase by Rs6.51 per unit to Rs27.74.
Likewise, the base rate for 501-600 units will increase to Rs29.16 per unit, up by Rs7.93, and that of 601-700 units will go up to Rs30.30 per unit, showing an increase of Rs8.97 per unit.
The base tariff for consumption above 700 units per month would go up to Rs35.22 per unit, with an increase of Rs11 per unit. The base rate for time of use (TOU) meters would go up by Rs10.06 to Rs34.39 for peak consumption hours and to Rs28.07 per unit for off-peak hours.
