Power tariff to increase as govt anticipates IMF loan tranche

ISLAMABAD: Consumers are expected to brace for an electricity tariff hike as the government has decided to raise the current rate prior to receiving a loan tranche of about $450 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In accordance with the decision, 10 distribution companies of ex-WAPDA are anticipating Rs17.2 billion additional revenue generation through an average price increase of about 18 paisa per unit.

Once cleared by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), the average electricity tariff would increase to about Rs13.69 per unit, excluding general sales tax and some other taxes and duties, from the current rate of Rs13.51 per unit.

The hike in power tariff was one of the remaining agenda items between the IMF mission and Pakistani authorities at the conclusion of the first quarter review last week.

“Work continues towards completing the remaining structural benchmarks for end-September,” the IMF reported last week.

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