Consumers brace for costly power in summer
The government on Thursday hinted at higher electricity prices in the coming summer owing to lower-than-usual water availability for hydropower and the resultant greater dependence on imported fuels. During a public hearing on Rs2 per unit negative fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for electricity consumed in January, it was officially reported that a negative FCA of Rs1.23 per unit was currently (billing month February) applicable to consumers of ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos). Therefore, there would be only 77 paise per unit “decrease for consumers” in March. National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Chairman Waseem Mukhtar asked about the plan to meet the summer demand given fewer rain and snowfalls throughout winter. The senior management of the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) told Nepra that current storage in reservoirs and less than projected snowfall in the mountains do not bode well for the power sector in the coming summer months.