Pakistan power bills may jump again in April

Electricity consumers in Pakistan could face another increase in bills from April after power utilities sought approval for an additional fuel cost charge of Rs1.64 per unit. The request was filed with Nepra by the Central Power Purchasing Agency on behalf of ex-Wapda distribution companies.

The proposed adjustment is intended to recover the difference between the reference fuel cost built into February bills and the actual cost incurred during power generation. According to the filing, the benchmark charge was Rs6.73 per unit, while the actual cost rose to Rs8.37 per unit, creating a sizable shortfall.

If approved by the regulator, the increase would also extend to K-Electric consumers. The report said total electricity generation in February reached 7,696 gigawatt-hours at a cost of roughly Rs62.75 billion, keeping pressure on consumers already burdened by rising household expenses.