ISLAMABAD: Whereas struggling to recuperate greater than Rs1.3 trillion in excellent dues from continual non-public defaulters, the federal government on Friday sought the rapid utility of an extra value of about Rs1.45 per unit to paying energy customers for 3 months to mop up one other Rs52 billion.
At a public listening to presided over by National Electrical Energy Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Chairman Waseem Mukhtar, the Energy Division requested the rapid utility of Rs1.45 per unit further value below the quarterly tariff adjustment (QTA) for the third quarter (January-March 2023-24) throughout the nation, together with Okay-Electrical, in view of the upcoming annual tariff rebasing efficient from July 1.
The federal government has already filed petitions for a couple of 25 per cent improve within the base nationwide electrical energy tariff to take impact from July 1, 2025, to lift about Rs1.2bn further income subsequent yr and guarantee an annual income requirement of about Rs4tr in FY2024-25 for energy corporations.
The Energy Division group, led by Joint Secretary Mehfooz Bhatti and comprising representatives of the Central Energy Buying Agency (CPPA) and different entities, argued {that a} Rs2.75 per unit QTA was being charged to customers that will finish in June. Usually, the subsequent QTA of Rs1.45 per unit ought to come into power from July 1.
Struggling to recuperate Rs1.3tr from ‘continual defaulters’, govt seeks rapid Rs1.45 per unit hike for 3 months
They argued that because the common tariff would turn into barely cheaper with the replacement of the present Rs2.75 per unit QTA with the subsequent QTA of Rs1.45 per unit, the regulator also needs to think about the applying of the bottom tariff improve, which envisaged a rise of about Rs4.41 to Rs6.51 per unit for subsequent yr from the present common nationwide tariff of Rs29.78 per unit.
Nepra promised to rigorously think about these points and hinted at permitting the Rs1.45 per unit QTA for the subsequent three months, i.e., July, August, and September of the subsequent fiscal yr. On a query, Mr Bhatti stated that the excellent quantity in opposition to non-public continual defaulters was about Rs1.3tr, with a few of these dues as previous as ten years. He stated the federal government’s marketing campaign in opposition to theft and non-payments had yielded about Rs104bn as of Could 9, 2024, which additionally included about Rs10.9bn recovered in opposition to theft.
Responding to a query, chief government officers of Hyderabad and Sukkur electrical provide corporations reported that their customers have been shifting to photo voltaic vitality as an alternative of clearing their dues, presenting a brand new challenge. Nevertheless, Nepra’s member from Sindh, Rafique A. Shaikh, stated it was arduous to imagine that individuals may reside with out energy provide in 45-degree Celsius climate, as photo voltaic may solely serve them throughout the daytime. He ordered that an impartial survey be carried out and its report submitted to the regulator to establish the veracity of such claims.
A Nepra official reported that about 1,000MW of grid energy had shifted to photo voltaic by December final yr, which had now reached near 2,000MW.
Of their separate tariff petitions, the distribution corporations (Discos) have pushed to lift about Rs51.88bn from their customers within the coming three months below QTA for the January to March interval.
The rise has been sought by the Discos to finance the extra monetary impression of capability fees arising from forex devaluation and rates of interest, along with the market operator charge, the impression of transmission and distribution losses on gasoline value changes, and variable operation and upkeep fees for the third quarter of the present fiscal yr.
Beneath the petitions, the Disco from Peshawar has demanded the best declare of Rs14.72bn, adopted by Rs9.3bn by Faisalabad Electrical, Rs8.17bn by Islamabad Electrical, and Rs5.4bn by Hyderabad Electrical. They’re adopted by a Rs5.39bn declare from Quetta Electrical, Rs3.62bn by Lahore Electrical, and Rs3.6b by Multan Electrical. One other Rs2.8bn declare has been filed by Sukkur Electrical. Gujranwala and Tribal Electrical corporations have proposed a discount of Rs900 million and Rs560m, respectively.
The most important chunk of the extra cumulative burden on account of capability fees has been claimed by Discos at Rs31.4bn for the quarter, adopted by Rs5.5bn on account of variable fees.
Upon approval, the adjustment could be recovered on a uniform foundation from all customers aside from lifeline customers. Beneath the tariff mechanism, modifications in gasoline prices are handed on to customers solely on a month-to-month foundation by an computerized mechanism, whereas quarterly tariff changes on account of variations in energy buy value, capability fees, variable operation and upkeep prices, use of system fees, and the impression of transmission and distribution losses are constructed into the bottom tariff by the federal authorities.
Printed in Daybreak, Could 18th, 2024