Judgement on reducing KE’s subsidy reserved

Amid consumers’ opposition, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) reserved judgment on the government’s request for reducing electricity subsidy by about Rs20 billion through about Rs6.02 per unit increase in K-Electric’s consumer-end tariff from April to June.While concluding the public hearing on a petition filed by the Power Division for a hike in KE’s consumer tariff, Nepra chairman Tauseef H. Farooqui said the regulator would issue its determination shortly. In two urgent petitions, the Power Division had asked the regulator to increase K-Electric’s consumer tariff by up to Rs6.02 per unit under two past quarterly adjustments and allow its recovery from consumers in three months — April to June — to ensure a national uniform tariff. The hearing was told that the government already recovered an equivalent increase in tariff from consumers of ex-Wapda Discos.