• Consults provinces on daytime commerce
• Awais says power package saves Rs20bn to industry, agriculture consumers in Q1

ISLAMABAD: Amid consultations to limit commercial activities to daytime to conserve electricity, the government on Friday said its surplus power package had benefited more than 203,367 industrial and agricultural consumers, with a first-quarter saving of over Rs20 billion.

Power Minister Awais Leghari said the centre was consulting with provinces on changes to market timings and other conservation measures to reduce the potential rise in power tariffs driven by the high cost of gas and furnace oil.

He stated that the global energy crisis was not limited to oil but also affected natural gas and furnace oil prices, potentially leading to higher electricity costs. “We, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are trying to protect our people from such an increase in power tariffs,” he said, adding that energy conservation would lessen the fiscal and foreign exchange burden on the country and facilitate an earlier recovery from the challenging situation.

The Power Division said that the government’s Surplus Power Package has caused a significant increase in electricity demand from the industrial and agricultural sectors, which consumed a substantial 2,164 gigawatt hours (GWh) of additional electricity over just three months, from December 2025 to February. “This accounts for 23pc of all units sold to these sectors during this period, a strong growth in energy demand”, it said.

Under a special initiative, the government introduced the surplus electricity package in November at a lower rate of Rs22.98 per unit for incremental usage to support the industry and agriculture sectors.

The Power Division said the industrial sector alone saved a total of Rs19.6bn, while agricultural consumers saved Rs1.14bn, bringing cumulative financial relief to Rs20.83bn in the three months. Among industrial categories, B3 consumers saved the most at Rs8.76bn, followed by B2 at Rs5.34bn, B4 at Rs4.02bn and B1 at Rs1.48bn.

The growth in the B4 category was reported at 67pc, with 83 out of 123 taking advantage of the scheme, followed by 52pc in the B3 (1,812 out of 3,470), 48pc in the B2 (33,449 out of 69,124), and 43pc in the B1 industries (98,718 out of 229,282). Around 34pc of agricultural consumers (82,334 out of 242,451), availed the scheme, it said.

In terms of energy consumption share under the package, B1 industries led at 27pc, followed by B4 at 25pc, B2 at 24pc, B3 at 22pc, and agriculture at 21pc. “The most exciting signs of success came in January 2026 with 12pc year-on-year growth and February 2026 with 11pc growth, clearly showing that the package has increased electricity demand and encouraged industries to rely more on cost-effective grid power instead of expensive self-generation”, the power division said adding that rise in demand was strong and positive indicator for the country’s economic recovery and energy sector stability.

The package was a targeted initiative to boost electricity consumption, optimise available generation capacity, and provide financial relief to industrial and agricultural consumers for a longer period.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2026