National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday approved a refund of Re 0.81 per unit for K-Electric (KE) consumers already overcharged in January 2015.
The Authority took the decision in response to a tariff petition filed by K-Electric which had overcharged Re 0.81 per unit in accordance with fuel adjustment mechanism. Vice Chairman Nepra, Salim Ullah Khiliji, presided over the hearing. Consumers who use 50 units in a month will not be eligible for refund.
Director Finance, K-Electric, Muhammad Amir, informed the regulator that fuel cost of the power utility increased by Rs 814.1 million in January on sale of 1.19 billion units.
K-Electric purchased electricity from National Transmission Dispatch Company (NTDC) at Rs 9.57 per unit which was Rs 2.99 per unit more expensive in January as compared to December 2014.
NTDC in a letter to K-Electric written in January 2015 had warned the latter that as the agreement has expired, the power purchaser will have to pay normal rates for the electricity until new arrangements are made.
Vice Chairman Nepra maintained that K-Electric generated 487 million units in December 2014 but in January generation dropped to 433 million, adding that the power utility should have operated its own power plants at full capacity in January.
K-Electric representatives argued that in January its own power plant at Bin Qasim was shut down for scheduled maintenance. In addition SSGCL supplied less gas.