The National Electric Power Regularity Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday refused to accept the federal government’s request for an increase in power surcharge. The government had filed a petition requesting a surcharge of Rs3.82 for consumers, following the support of additional power prices during the ECC meeting.

However, Nepra Chairman Tauseef H. Farooqi objected to the request, citing that consumers who had paid their bills were already being charged a surcharge of Rs3.39, while those who had not paid were still receiving relief. He also expressed his frustration, questioning why the government sought approval from Nepra when it had the power to impose surcharges itself.

The director general tariff clarified that Nepra had the authority to dismiss the surcharge. As a result, Nepra decided to discuss the power surcharge approval with power holding companies for imposition. A day ago, the federal government approved a power surcharge on consumers for the next fiscal year, in a move aimed at covering losses, paying debts, and providing financial assistance to the electricity sector. This move came after pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Pakistan to implement certain conditions for a staff-level agreement.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP