NEPRA | Pakistan

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a total fine of Rs60 million on the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) and the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) over abnormal increases in fuel costs and system inefficiencies recorded in January 2024.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Tuesday approved an increase of 35 paisa per unit in electricity prices under a quarterly adjustment.

ISLAMABAD: Ill-planned surplus generation capacity, low plant utilisation, high fixed costs and inefficient generation dispatch have become a permanent source of high consumer-end power tariffs, as well as a financial drain on the power sector and the federal budget, says the power regulator’s annual report. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) Annual Report on the Performance of Power Plants in Pakistan FY2024-25 said: “Overall, the [power] sector’s high fixed costs, low utilisation, and inefficient dispatch of generation resources collectively resulted in higher electricity tariffs and financial stress on the power system.” It further said, “In summary, achieving an economically sustainable power sector requires thorough evaluation of the financial and economic consequences before adding new generation capacity. Simply expanding capacity without assessing its cost-effectiveness and expected utilisation can result in inefficiencies such as under-used assets and increased electricity cos...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday took notice of the recent changes made by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) regarding solar consumers and directed the Power Division to file a review appeal against it. The power regulator on Monday changed the terms of contracts for all existing and future net-metered solar consumers — known as prosumers — to contain rising solar energy penetration and protect an expensive and inefficient state-owned power network. The notification effectively terminated the existing net-metering regime and replaced it with net-billing for all. A statement from the PM Office (PMO) issued today said the premier had taken “immediate notice” of the matter. The development follows outcry from senators across the political spectrum, including the ruling ally, the PPP, and the opposition, the PTI, in opposition to the NEPRA move. The PMO quoted the prime minister as directing the Power Division to immediately file a review appeal before Nepra “to ensure ...

ISLAMABAD: There was an outcry in the upper house of Parliament on Tuesday against changes by the power regulator in the contracts for solar consumers, with the government defending the move. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Monday drastically changed the terms of contracts for all existing and future net-metered solar consumers — known as prosumers — to contain rising solar energy penetration and protect an expensive and inefficient state-owned power network. The notification effectively terminated the existing net-metering regime and replaced it with net-billing for all. Speaking on a motion in the Senate on Tuesday, PTI Senator Syed Ali Zafar strongly criticised the government’s decision to withdraw net metering benefits for solar consumers, calling it a grave breach of trust and a cruel act against the people of Pakistan. Senator Zafar stated that a promise, once made, must be honoured and when that promise came from the state, it became sacrosanct. He recalled that the governme...

• Notifies new regulations, shifts all prosumers to net-billing • New contracts will be limited to five years; existing seven-year terms will remain valid until expiry • Buyback rate for future prosumers cut to Rs10-11 per unit from Rs26 • Imported electricity from Discos to be billed separately at Rs37-55 per unit ISLAMABAD: In a rapid move, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Monday drastically changed the terms of contracts for all existing and future net-metered solar consumers — known as prosumers — to contain rising solar energy penetration and protect an expensive and inefficient state-owned power network. The contractual changes were introduced through a predetermined set of regulations that had been published as draft for public opinion but were notified without any change after a public hearing. The notification effectively terminates the existing net-metering regime and replaces it with net-billing for all. As a result, earlier public pronouncements by officials and minister...

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and the Power Division faced sharp criticism on Friday from a wide range of stakeholders over proposed changes to net-metering regulations, as critics accused authorities of ganging up against rapid solar energy adoption and pushing the country towards an “inefficient, unreliable and unaffordable” power system. The objections were raised during a marathon public hearing convened by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to seek feedback on its proposed Prosumers Regulations 2025, which aim to significantly reduce incentives for net-metering solar consumers. Although Nepra itself proposed the draft regulations, their defence was largely mounted by the Power Division and its utilities, including distribution companies and K-Electric. Participants at the hearing included think tanks, politicians, chambers of commerce, solar installers, service providers, industrialists and domestic consumers, many of whom argued that the propos...

• Transmission system suffers from overloading, underutilisation • 116 of 192 transformers overloaded beyond 80pc capacity • Regulator urges fast-tracking projects, upgrading substations • Says up to 1,750MW of cheaper power frequently curtailed ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s nati­onal transmission system, one of the largest in the world, suffers from a damaging mix of overloading and underutilisation, creating operational constraints that unde­rmine merit-based power supply and impose an unquantifiable financial burden on consumers and the national economy, the National Electric Power Regul­atory Authority (Nepra) has said. In a detailed review of the national grid system, the regulator pointed out that the backbone of the transmission network — 500kV and 220kV lines — remained “mostly overloaded” at the close of FY2024-25. It said the National Grid Company (NGC) faced critical overloading in several sections of its 500kV and 220kV network, particularly during summer peak demand. “Many grid stations and power transfo...

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday extended its stay order on the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) decision regarding the K-Electric tariff, as hearings on multiple petitions continued.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a combined fine of Rs 57.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is reviewing a major revision in the solar net metering policy, with plans to slash the buyback rate for surplus electricity supplied to the national grid from Rs23 to Rs10 per unit, sources in the Power Division revealed on Friday.

The government on Monday hailed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) recent decision to slash K-Electric’s multi-year tariff, saying it will reduce the “additional burden on taxpayers” and that the move was not against the interests of Karachi’s power consumers. Last week, Nepra reduced KE’s multi-year tariff for the fiscal year 2023-24 by Rs7.6 per unit, from Rs39.97 to Rs32.37. KE warned that the move will have “far-reaching consequences for its stakeholders, including consumers”. Shares of KE, Pakistan’s only privatised and foreign-owned electricity utility, plunged on the stock exchange following the tariff cut, as investors sold heavily. According to a Dawn report, KE’s foreign owners are threatening to take the government to an international litigation forum. Analysts have warned that the tariff revision and regulatory uncertainty could hurt the company’s finances. In a subsequent statement today, the Ministry of Energy’s Power Division termed those opinions a “malicious campaign”....

K-Electric (KE) said on Tuesday that following the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) recent decision on a set of review motions, its average tariff had reduced by Rs7.6/kWh, which would have “far-reaching consequences for its stakeholders, including consumers”. According to KE, power regulatory authority’s decision has resulted in a reduction of its average tariff from the previously announced Rs39.97/kWh to Rs32.37/kWh. However, the utility clarified that the recent announcement by the regulator does not apply to customers and, therefore, there would be no change or reduction in monthly bills for power consumers. On May 27, Nepra had set KE’s base tariff at Rs39.97 per unit for the fiscal year 2023-24, which was almost 40pc higher than even the national average tariff of about Rs28 per unit in 2025-26 for the 10 public sector power distribution companies (Discos) in the country. The delta between the Discos’ average and KE’s tariff was transferred to the taxpayers through the federal bud...

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has ordered Karachi-based distribution company K-Electric (KE) to pay a fine of Rs25 million within 15 days over its failure to fulfil its responsibilities. A Nepra notification available with Dawn.com stated that the penalty was issued over a nationwide power breakdown in January 2023. Nepra noted that KE attempted to restore electricity amid a major power breakdown in January 2023 through ‘black start facilities’, which are used to restore power in the event of a blackout at KE plants, but attempts failed due to frequent tripping. “Repeated failed attempts on the black start facilities of most of the power plants in the licensee’s (KE) fleet and their frequent tripping indicates the lack of mock testing of the black start facility by the licensee,” the notification read. “The mock testing is a crucial step for the preparation of the licensee and all relevant stakeholders to handle a blackout scenario, as it ensures the healthiness of [the] black start...

The National Elec­t­ric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Tuesday notified a negative fuel cost adjustment (FCA) of Rs1.79 per unit for consumers in September’s bills for power consumed in the month of July. According to a notification issued by Nepra today, the authority “decided to allow a negative FCA of Rs1.7859/kWh for July 2025, to be passed on to the consumers in the billing month of September 2025”. Nepra said the negative FCA would apply to all consumer categories of K-Electric and XWDiscos (ex-Wapda distribution companies) “except lifeline consumers, domestic protected consumers, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) and prepaid electricity consumers of all categories who opted for pre-paid tariff”. The adjustment would be shown separately in the consumers’ bills on the basis of units billed to the consumers in the respective month to which the adjustment pertains, it said. “In case any bills of September 2025 are issued before the notification of this decision, the same may be applied in th...

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has announced a reduction of Rs1.

NEPRA slashes power tariff by Rs1.89 per unit

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a reduction of Rs 1.88 per unit under quarterly tariff adjustment for the fourth quarter of FY 2024-25, ARY News reported. This approval will result in a negative adjustment of Rs. 55.87 billion that will be given to consumers from August to October 2025. This […]

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday notified a decrease of Rs1.89 in the uniform tariff for the next three months. A notification dated August 7 and available with Dawn.com said that the authority “decided to allow the application of instant quarterly adjustments on the consumers of K-Electric as well, with the same applicability period. “Accordingly, the instant quarterly adjustment of negative Rs1.8881/kWh (per kilowatt hour) shall also be charged from the consumers of K-Electric except life line and prepaid consumers, to be recovered in a period of three months [from] August 2025 to October 2025.” Nepra stated that this discount will be applied to bills for the applicable period issued before the notification, adding that distribution companies (Discos) will comply with court orders. Meanwhile, Nepra also notified a negative fuel cost adjustment (FCA) of Rs0.78 per unit for consumers of all ex-Wapda distribution companies (XWDiscos) except for K-Electric (KE) in their bills...

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has ordered NEPRA to conduct a technical survey of K-Electric’s infrastructure amid the ongoing electricity crisis in the city. The order was made during a hearing on a petition filed against continuous and unannounced load-shedding across the city. K-Electric, the only power distribution utility in Karachi, argued in the court […]