NEPRA Approves 75 Paisa Per Unit Electricity Price Hike for August Bills
At a glance
- NEPRA approved a Re 0.75 per unit increase in electricity price for June 2026.
- This adjustment aims to recover an additional Rs 9.8 billion from consumers.
- The revised charges will appear in August 2026 electricity bills.
Story so far
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a Re 0.75 per unit increase in electricity prices under the monthly Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) for June 2026. This decision, made after a public hearing on July 29, 2026, aims to recover an additional Rs 9.8 billion from consumers. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) had initially sought a higher increase of Rs 1.20 per unit to recover Rs 15.68 billion, primarily due to higher RLNG costs. The revised charges will be applied to August 2026 electricity bills for most consumers, excluding lifeline users, electric vehicle charging stations, and prepaid tariff users.
Latest development
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a Re 0.75 per unit increase in the Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) for June 2026, aiming to recover an additional Rs 9.8 billion from consumers. This adjustment will be reflected in August 2026 electricity bills.
Latest updates
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a Re 0.75 per unit increase in the Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) for June 2026, aiming to recover an additional Rs 9.8 billion from consumers. The regulator conducted a public hearing on July 29, 2026, where the Central Power Purchasing Agency-Guaranteed (CPPA-G) had sought a higher positive adjustment of Rs 1.20 per unit, based on an actual FCA of Rs 8.9138 per unit, to recover Rs 15.68 billion, primarily due to the higher cost of Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG).
During the hearing, NEPRA sought details on measures being taken to avoid future increases in FCA. The Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) informed that generation during June 2026 was optimised considering south-north transmission constraints. Cheaper generation sources, including nuclear, gas, local coal, and imported coal, were dispatched to their maximum feasible limits before resorting to RLNG-based plants. ISMO also stated that the commissioning of the Lahore North transmission project increased evacuation through the HVDC system by around 300–400 MW, reaching an average of 4,200–4,300 MW. NEPRA directed ISMO and the National Grid Company (NGC) to provide timelines for resolving these constraints before the next hearing.
The authority also expressed concern over partial loading charges amounting to Rs 4.9 billion. CPPA-G explained that these charges were not due to inefficiencies but resulted from reduced daytime demand caused by increased rooftop solar generation, leading to power plants operating at partial load during solar hours and ramping up later for evening peak demand. NEPRA noted that partial loading charges in June 2026 were approximately Rs 1 billion higher than in June 2025. ISMO added that shutting down plants to avoid such charges would instead lead to significant start-up costs. Member Khawar Hanif pointed out that ISMO had earlier been directed to present the financial impact of Guddu 747 operating in open-cycle.
Responses