NEPRA has increased electricity prices by 11 paise per unit by approving adjustment minutes in the fourth quarter of FY 2019-20 and the first two-quarters of FY 2020-21.
Islamabad: According to the notification issued by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), electricity distribution companies have decided to increase the price of electricity. It has been taken after receiving applications for quarterly adjustments. According to the announcement, electricity has been made expensive by 8 paise per unit for domestic consumers and 11 paise per unit for commercial consumers. The price hike will take effect from October this year, while the increase will not apply to consumers using K-Electric and up to 300 units of electricity. The power crisis persists in the country during the hot weather and load shedding continues for 12 hours in different areas, which led to protests in many cities. The power shortfall reached 8,000 MW. Electricity demand is more than 25,000 MW and supply is about 17,000 MW.
Like other cities, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad also witnessed lightning strikes. On the other hand, with the intensity of heat in Lahore, the shortcomings of LESCO’s transmission system have also started coming to the fore. Along with load shedding, tripping and low voltage made life difficult for the citizens, power outages lasted for hours due to the burning of transformers and other technical faults in different parts of the city. Power outages lasted for 5 to 6 hours in different areas. Power demand exceeds 4800 MW in extreme heat, NPCC is supplying 4500 MW to LESCO and LESCO is facing a 300 MW shortfall.
Ministry of Power officials said that the shortage of water in Tarbela and the non-availability of gas and oil to the powerhouses increased the load shedding. The situation will improve in two to three days. On the other hand, NEPRA has asked the Federal Government to allow 97 paise per unit increase in electricity prices. According to the decision issued by the authority, the government’s revision requests to increase the price of electricity by Rs 1.72 paise for domestic consumers from October 2021 have been approved while a surcharge of Rs 25 paise has also been allowed for commercial, industrial and agricultural consumers. The federal government will bear the financial impact of the increase in electricity tariff in terms of quarterly adjustment, while the authority said in its decision that the Federal Government is authorized to impose a surcharge.
The last quarterly adjustment of Rs 1.62 per unit by the federal government expires on September 30, 2021. The federal government has decided to increase the price of electricity in terms of various quarterly adjustments, according to which the fourth quarter of 2019-20. It has been decided to increase the price of electricity by 82 paise per month while in the first and second quarter of 2020-21. It has been decided to increase the price of electricity by 90 paise. According to the decision, the increase in electricity prices will be implemented in October 2021, additional charges will be levied on electricity consumers for one year. The price hike will not apply to lifeline customers.
Meanwhile, according to the NEPRA statement, the additional burden of electricity prices on consumers will be 8 to 11 paise per unit. Approved with effect from October 2021. PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has asked the government why there is a seven-hour load shedding when there is more electricity in the country. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Energy Hamad Azhar has said that the energy issue will be resolved by Monday. Addressing a press conference, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that all the power plants were being run by Nawaz Sharif. The ministers are lying that running plants are expensive. The ministers did not make any plans regarding LNG. One of the ministers of this government kept saying that the plants installed during the PML-N government were generating an ample amount of electricity and there was additional capacity in the terminal. The tender was given to sell capacity but another minister said that there is no capacity in the LNG terminal and now expensive furnace oil is being bought due to a shortage of LNG. Former Prime Minister said why plants are closed today, why expensive electricity was made. This is incompetence, now it is not incompetence, it is corruption. In 2018, the cabinet had decided that furnace oil would not be imported but now furnace oil is being procured due to a shortage of LNG. One billion rupees are spent on a furnace of oil. Can anyone tell if three coal and three LNG plants are the cheapest or not? I know who is corrupt in this matter.
The expelled ministers said that there was no arrangement for transmission. The PML-N leader said that the revolving debt has reached Rs 2,500 billion, we had left Rs 1,050 billion, the entire government of Pakistan runs at Rs 450 billion, a new minister comes, a new story comes. Seven energy ministers have been replaced, all fired on the basis of incompetence and incompetence. Ministers do not know which plants run on LNG and which run on furnace oil. On the other hand. Federal Minister for Energy Hamad Azhar Tweeted that 70% of LNG supply will be restored by Saturday. The replacement was successfully completed on Wednesday, June 30. 40% supply of LNG has already started two days ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, in a press conference, Hamad Azhar said that the situation of electricity and gas will return to normal by Monday.
Tarbela Dam is giving 20-25% production. It is hoped that in a few days the inflow of water will increase so that in a few days Tarbela will also start generating 75% of its capacity. The increased flow of water in Tarbela Dam will increase power generation in two days. Government initiatives have improved power transmission systems and reduced revolving credit. The annual increase in revolving credit has come down from Rs 450 billion to Rs 177 billion. The former government has built terminals, paid no attention to storage and power transmission systems, 26,000 MW power projects will be completed in the next eight years, shine a light on politics and power outages Trying to put a scar on someone else’s foot is a sad and childish act. He said that a field of Sui Southern Gas was closed for repairs two weeks ago and due to this there was also a shortage of gas there. After repairs three days ago, the gas supply has been restored and 80 to 90 percent of gas has been restored. SSGC is coming into the system and the company is not facing any significant shortage of gas. Hamad Azhar said that although efforts were made to politicize the issue of gas and electricity, although the shortfall of 630 MMCFD was met by local gas, power plants are run on furnace oil every summer. We are currently running one-fourth of the power plants on furnace oil as compared to the PML-N era and are gradually reducing it further, Which is a good thing.
