Nepra Reviews Rs2.52/Unit Electricity Hike for September Bills
Electricity consumers across Pakistan are looking at another jump in their September bill, on top of whatever their base tariff already charges. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G) has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to approve a Rs2.52 per unit fuel cost adjustment (FCA) — a request Nepra heard on August 27 and, as of this week, has reserved its decision on rather than rejected or approved outright.
What actually happened
The FCA is a monthly true-up mechanism: Nepra sets a "reference" fuel cost when it approves the base tariff, and if the power sector's actual fuel bill comes in higher or lower that month, the difference is passed to consumers (or credited back) roughly two months later. For July 2026, the reference fuel cost was Rs7.09 per unit, but the actual cost came in at Rs9.61 per unit — a gap of Rs2.52 per unit that CPPA-G is now asking Nepra to recover from consumers in September bills. Collectively, that works out to about Rs36.5 billion.
Why fuel costs jumped so sharply
- Electricity generated from imported RLNG surged 242% to Rs47.4 per unit in July, up from under Rs14 per unit in April
- The government had to buy five expensive LNG cargoes on the spot market after regular supplies from Qatar were disrupted amid the US-Iran conflict
- RLNG made up only around 11% of total generation in July, with roughly 73% still coming from cheaper domestic sources — but its cost swing was large enough to move the national average
- This is the second consecutive FCA increase after a smaller Rs0.75 per unit hike was already approved for August billing
Nothing is final yet
Nepra's public hearing drew pushback — trade bodies and industry representatives have objected to the size of the recovery, arguing consumers shouldn't fully absorb costs tied to a geopolitical supply shock rather than routine market pricing. Nepra typically issues a written determination within a couple of weeks of a hearing, so a final, binding number for September bills should land before the billing cycle closes. Until that determination is notified, Rs2.52/unit is a request, not a rate.
The takeaway
FCA charges are separate from any DISCO tariff change and arrive with a built-in two-month lag, so July's unusually expensive LNG cargoes are only now working their way into what households and businesses will actually pay. Keep an eye on Nepra's determinations page for the final approved figure, since the number that gets notified can come in below the Rs2.52 per unit CPPA-G originally requested.