Nepra rate revision could increase electricity bills in 2026

• The reference point will serve as a basic reference for invoices.
• Regulator queries data, CPPA call submission is incomplete.
• Business groups warn the proposal will keep energy unaffordable.
  

Islamabad: Pakistani households and businesses could face higher electricity bills next year after the country’s energy regulator on Tuesday opened a review of a proposal to raise the national power purchase price, a step that could raise energy costs across the board. The News was mentioned.

The Central Power Purchase Authority (CPPA), in its submission to the National Electricity Regulatory Authority (Nepra), has proposed to fix the national power purchase price for the financial year 2026 in the range of Rs 25.69 to Rs 26.69 per unit.

That benchmark will serve as a benchmark for the tariffs eventually charged to consumers nationwide, and business groups warn the proposed level would entrench costly electricity and further weigh on economic growth.

Nepra Chairman Wasim Mukhtar presided over the public hearing, where the CPPA based its calculations on projected demand, fuel prices and the US dollar exchange rate.

Nepra member Rafiq Ahmed Sheikh criticized the submission as incomplete and incomplete, questioning the accuracy of the data on which the proposal is based. Nepra said it will consult industry stakeholders before finalizing any rate.

Representatives from major business groups warned that the proposed order would keep energy unaffordable.

Rehan Javed of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry said the numbers suggest “electricity will not get cheaper” under the plan, adding that high energy costs continue to erode industrial competitiveness.

Tanveer Bari of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged regulators not to “inflate” the exchange rate case, noting that any weakening of the rupee sharply increases production costs.

Nepra will continue to review the CPPA application in the coming weeks, with a final decision on the 2026 power purchase price expected later this year.