Discos Seek Nepra’s Nod for Over Rs10bn in Quarterly Power Tariff Surcharge

By Special Correspondent
Islamabad: Power distribution companies (Discos) have sought approval from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to recover more than Rs10.75 billion from consumers under the second quarterly tariff adjustment, a move that may result in an increase of about Re0.43 per unit in electricity prices.
Nepra held a public hearing on the petition on Tuesday, presided over by its Chairman Waseem Mukhtar. Power utilities argued that the additional charges were mainly linked to capacity payments for the period from October to December 2025.
Officials informed the regulator that total claims of Rs24.25 billion were being made under capacity payments for the quarter. However, they said this was partially offset by a reduction of around Rs13.5 billion in other components, including operations and maintenance costs, use-of-system charges and the incremental package.
Representatives of the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) told Nepra that reference capacity payments for the quarter stood at about Rs431 billion, compared to Rs459 billion in the same period last year. They attributed the shortfall of approximately Rs24.25 billion to lower electricity consumption during the quarter.
The proposal drew sharp criticism from consumer representatives, who accused the government of shifting the burden of policy failures onto the public. Several participants objected to the incremental package, saying it was benefiting select industries while placing an unfair load on other consumers. They also questioned the accuracy of the data submitted under the scheme and urged Nepra to reassess the figures provided by the CPPA.
During the hearing, officials also stated that furnace oil-based power plants would not be operated in the future as the government moves away from expensive sources of electricity generation.