NEPRA has released a notification indicating a rise in electricity rates for Karachi by Rs10.1 per unit due to the monthly fuel adjustment mechanism. The notification outlines the incremental charges over the coming months: Rs2.68 per unit in June, Rs3.11 per unit in July, Rs3.22 per unit in August, and an additional Re1 per unit in September. However, this increase won’t affect the lifeline consumers of K-Electric (KE) or vehicle charging stations.

Initially, KE had requested this fuel adjustment increase to cover the period from July 2023 to March 2024. The additional charges are expected to impose a burden of over Rs20 billion on consumers. NEPRA’s decision follows a hearing on KE’s request for a nine-month extension of the monthly fuel adjustment charges. As a result, KE customers will face increased rates from June to September.

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This development underscores the ongoing challenges confronting Karachi’s electricity consumers amid fluctuating fuel costs and the broader economic impacts of energy price adjustments. Earlier, NEPRA had announced an increase in electricity prices by Rs3.33 per unit for non-Karachi consumers, imposing an additional burden of over Rs35 billion on consumers as part of April’s monthly fuel adjustment, according to a notification issued by the authority.

CPPA had initially requested a price hike of Rs3.49 per unit, but NEPRA settled on a slightly lower increase. The new rates would be reflected in this month’s electricity bills. NEPRA also issued a notification on June 4 announcing a hike in electricity prices as part of the quarterly adjustment for the current financial year, with prices rising by Rs1.90 per unit for June and by 93 paisas per unit for July and August. This adjustment means consumers will experience higher electricity bills from June to August 2024.