Nepra estimates Rs1.6 fall in average tariff

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Wednesday claimed that the average national power tariff would be cheaper by Rs1.6 per unit in the next two months compared to the first quarter of the year ending September due to quarterly adjustments. Nepra’s case officers told a public hearing presided over by regulator’s Chairman Waseem Mukhtar that Discos had sought an additional quarterly tariff adjustment of about Rs6.4 billion for the July-September quarter that worked out an increase of about 36 paise per unit for three months. However, the regulator’s workings and later confirmed by Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) — a commercial agent of Discos — showed that the total additional QTA was about Rs1.63bn and that some of the Discos had filed inaccurate claims. Therefore, based on the working of the CPPA and regulator’s technical team, the additional per unit impact would work out at nine paise if applied over three months or 13 paise per unit if charged in two months, given the minimal size of the increase.