ISLAMABAD – The Ex-WAPDA distribution companies (XWDISCOs) have informed National Electric Power Regulatory Authority that they will refund Re0.7057 per unit to power consumers, as they were charged higher per unit in September against the actual fuel cost.
In a petition submitted to NEPRA, on behalf of XWDiscos, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has said that the reference fuel charges for September 2024 was Rs9.8006 per unit, while the total cost per unit amounted to Rs9.0949. The CPPA sought NEPRA’s approval to refund the Re0.7057 per unit differential to consumers on account of fuel price adjustment (FCA) for September 2024. According to the CPPA’s application, a total of 12,487 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity was generated in September, costing Rs104.11billion, with 12,118 GWh delivered to DISCOs.
According to the petition, electricity generated from furnace oil cost Rs 30.296 per unit compared to Rs30.3188 per unit during August. Imported electricity from Iran was priced at Rs25.9519 per unit, down from Rs27.2457 per unit, while generation from RLNG-based power plants cost Rs24.957 per unit, down from Rs25.7579 in previous month.
The generation cost of local coal-based was Rs12.288 per unit, up from Rs12.2738 per unit, while imported coal generation cost Rs16.599 per unit, up from Rs15.829 per unit in August 2024. Additionally, the cost of local natural gas generation was Rs13.6787 per unit, up from Rs13.381 in the previous month. The average generation cost in September 2024 was Rs8.338 per unit, compared to Rs7.493 in August 2024 and Rs7.417 per unit in September 2023. Power generation figures reveal that local coal-based power generation in September 2024 decreased to 1,261 GWh from 1,306 GWh in the previous month. Hydropower generation also declined to 4,838 GWh from 5,362 GWh in the previous month and 5,009 GWh in September 2023. Natural gas-based generation a little increased to 988 GWh from 950 GWh in August 2024 and however down from 1,005 GWh in September 2023.
RLNG-based generation reduced to 2,039 GWh in September 2024 from 2,106 GWh in August 2024 and 2,128 GWh in September 2023. Nuclear power generation significantly decreased to 1,596 GWh in September 2024 from 2,190 GWh in August 2024 and 2,286 GWh in September 2023. No electricity was generated from high-speed diesel. However, generation from residual fuel oil (RFO) increased to 39 GWh from 6 GWh in August 2024 and reduced from 241 GWh in September 2023. NEPRA will hold a public hearing on CPPA petition on October 30, 2024. If the regulator accepts CPPA’s latest plea, then this adjustment/relief would be available to all user categories except lifeline power consumers, domestic consumers consuming up to 300 units, electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS), pre-paid electricity consumers of all categories who opted for pre-paid tariff and agriculture Consumers of all the XWDISCOs. In its earlier decision for July’s FCA, Nepra had decided and directed Discos to refund Rs0.3692 per unit to consumers in their September bills.
