Daily Times

The cost of electricity is expected to rise further for consumers across the country, including Karachi, due to quarterly adjustments.

A request has been submitted for the first quarter adjustment of the current fiscal year, seeking an additional collection of Rs 8.72 billion from electricity consumers.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will hear Nepra’s plea on Tuesday. According to NEPRA, Rs 8.06 billion is being requested under capacity charges, while Rs 1.25 billion is sought for operations and maintenance, and Rs 1.65 billion for system charges and market operation fees. Electricity consumers nationwide are currently paying Rs 1.74 per unit under the quarterly adjustment mechanism. The collection for the last quarter adjustment of the previous fiscal year is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

The World Bank has proposed the transfer of ownership of 10 power distribution companies (DISCOs) in the name of the president of Pakistan before their auction, as the government’s sell-off strategy suggests that the sector will remain a burden on the exchequer even after its privatisation. The World Bank has recommended at least nine prior actions, one of which is that the shares of DISCOs should be transferred in the name of the president of Pakistan, said an additional secretary of the Power Division on Monday.

He was briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Privatisation, headed by PML-N Senator Tallal Badar Chaudhry. In a briefing on the privatisation of DISCOs, it emerged that the sector would keep bleeding due to politically induced policies. Tallal Chaudhry remarked that the privatisation of DISCOs was far more complex than Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).