With the new government of Pakistan Muslim League (N) about to take over in less than two weeks, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday notified power tariff of eight months ((from August 2012 to March 2013) under monthly Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) mechanism which was suspended by the courts on petitions filed by consumers.
The impact of notified tariffs has been divided in five instalments starting from June till October 2013. Registrar Nepra, Syed Safeer Hussain told Business Recorder that the impact in August would be Rs 05 paisa per unit, September Rs 0.05 paisa, October Rs 0.04 and November Rs 0.91 (total Rs 1.05) which will be passed on to the consumers in June 2013.
However, impact of Rs 1.03 in December 2012 will be passed in the bills of July 2013, Rs 1.55 in January 2013 in the bills of August 2013, Rs 0.63 per unit in February will be passed on in September and Rs 1.33 paisa per unit in March will be passed on to consumer bills of October 2013.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that different Discos were already collecting Fuel Price Adjustment from consumers on the plea that only those consumers who had challenged Nepra's determinations were exempt from payment of FPA. However, Nepra Registrar categorically stated that until Nepra notifies the determined tariff Discos cannot begin implementing it.
One of the members of Nepra, Shaukat Ali Kundi in dissenting notes opposed fuel charges adjustments on account of serious inefficiencies prevailing in the public sector Gencos, which is on record. As per available information these inefficiencies still persists in Gencos which are burdening the end consumer. He was of the view that so far no reference for fuel cost adjustment for the month of October 2012 has been determined by the Authority.