Nepra officials have warned Gepco against illegal installation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) on small meters. They said the company was installing AMI without regulator approval and even without data backup. Photo: file
ISLAMABAD:
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has approved concessional tariffs on additional power consumption for the industrial and agricultural sectors.
A Power division spokesperson said industrial and agricultural consumers would be charged Rs 22.98 per unit on excess electricity consumption.
“This is a revolutionary measure by the government to promote the country’s industrial and agricultural development,” the spokesperson said.
The government has introduced significant reductions in electricity tariffs for the industrial and agricultural sectors – two pillars of the national economy – to reduce the cost of doing business and support economic growth.
Under the new tariff structure, the price of additional power units for the agriculture sector has been reduced from Rs38 to Rs22.98 per unit, while the industrial sector tariff has been reduced from Rs34 to Rs22.98 per unit. This major relief measure will reduce the average cost of purchased electricity for consumers in both sectors,” the spokesperson said.
With the revised tariffs, agricultural consumers using 100 additional units will see a reduction of around Rs7 per unit in their average electricity cost. Similarly, industrial consumers using 1,000 additional units will experience a decrease of almost Rs5 per unit.
The Energy Division said the government has already implemented several tariff reductions for industries, and this new cut is expected to encourage higher production and boost economic activity.
The government says it is confident that this initiative would contribute to economic revitalization and provide relief to key productive sectors in the country.
“Nepra’s decision has been received by the federal government,” the Energy Division said, adding that domestic and commercial consumers will not be affected by the industrial package.
The industrial package will promote industrial and agricultural activities in the country, Energy Minister Owais Leghari said, adding that the package will promote productive activities and provide additional employment opportunities.
The industrial sector will be able to better plan for the future thanks to the three-year program, Leghari said, adding that new industries, including data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations, will also benefit.
“The package will be implemented after the notification is issued in this regard,” the Energy Division said.
