Islamabad:
The electrocution of eleven people in July during the Monzón rains led the Pakistan Energy Regulator to censor the distribution companies (discos) at a hearing on Thursday while listening to a request to reduce electricity tariffs throughout the country in RS1.69 per unit.
The National Electric Power Authority concluded a public hearing on the adjustment of July fuel charges (FCA) for the discs, where the Guaranteed Central Energy Purchase Agency (CPPA-G) sought the cut per unit for a month.
The regulator expressed the “severe outrage” on the increase in fatal accidents, with the Rafiq Ahmad Sheikh member demanding responses from the Islamabad electricity supply company (IESCO), where six deaths were reported in just one month.
“Where is the IESCO CEO? Where were the security measures?” Sheikh asked, warning that authority could impose maximum sanctions on negligent companies. “But these companies run to court and get suspension orders,” he added.
Nepra said that the power division, through a letter, transmitted the directive of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) that K-Electric consumers are also charged to the FCA determined by discos, in line with the government’s uniform tariff policy.
If the proposed adjustment is approved, it will be applied to all consumer categories, except life line users, protected consumers, prepaid customers and electric vehicle load stations.
The central energy purchase agency (CPPA) informed the regulator that a greater generation of hydroelectric energy in July reduced the dependence on imported LNG. Annually, the general generation fell by 5 percent, although the monthly production grew by 3 percent, according to the technical member of Nepra.
Several important electric power plants, including Neelum-Jhelum, Punjab Thermal and Guddu, remain closed, which aggravates the problems of reliability in the network, members said.
Industrial consumers at the audience praised Nepera for at least trying to address public complaints, while accusing the oil and gas regulatory authority (OGRA) of becoming “no more than a post office” and openly violate the rules.
