The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has allowed a Rs0.3504 per unit increase in electricity tariff under the quarterly adjustment mechanism, resulting in an estimated additional burden of Rs8.67 billion on consumers to be recovered from March to May 2026.
The hike relates to the October–December 2025 quarter and will be charged over a three-month period. In its order, the regulator stated that the “instant quarterly adjustment of positive Rs.0.3504/kWh shall also be charged from the consumers of K-Electric… to be recovered in a period of 03 months i.e. March 2026 to May 2026.”
The adjustment will apply nationwide, including Karachi. However, NEPRA clarified that it will not be applicable to “life line, Incremental consumption package billed units and prepaid consumers,” offering partial protection to the most vulnerable categories.
The authority further explained the billing mechanism, noting that “in case any bills for the applicable period of the instant adjustment, are issued before the notification of this decision, the same may be applied in subsequent month.” This effectively gives distribution companies flexibility in incorporating the increase into upcoming bills.
Issuing operational directions, NEPRA instructed Ex-WAPDA Distribution Companies (XWDISCOs) to strictly observe judicial rulings while implementing the adjustment. The order states, “while effecting the quarterly adjustments, the concerned XWDISCOs shall keep in view and strictly comply with the orders of the courts notwithstanding this order.”
The regulator also emphasized improved transparency and data submission standards. All XWDISCOs have been directed to file quarterly adjustment requests immediately after the close of each quarter and provide “category wise detail of increase/decrease in sales of each quarter, over reference sales as well as actual sales of corresponding period of previous year.” For industrial consumers, separate reporting for E1, B2, B3 and B4 categories, along with analysis of sales and MDI variance, will now be mandatory in future hearings.
NEPRA has intimated the Federal Government prior to formal notification in the Official Gazette in accordance with Section 31(7) of the NEPRA Act.
This marks the second quarterly tariff increase in the current fiscal year. Previously, a Rs0.33 per unit hike for the July–September 2025 quarter was recovered between December 2025 and February 2026, reflecting continued upward adjustments in consumer-end power tariffs.
