KARACHI: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has allowed the Karachi Electric Supply Company to raise its tariff by Rs1.80 for quarterly adjustment for Oct-Dec 2010 and 85 paisa per unit for fuel adjustment for Jan 2011 while giving its verdict on KESC petitions.

In both the determinations, Maqbool Ahmad Khawaja, a Nepra member, recorded his dissenting note on the plea that the KESC was not utilising full capacity of power generation from its available plants.

Both the Nepra's determinations mentioned: “Pursuant to the orders of honorable High Court of Sindh, Karachi, passed on writ petition No. 1380 of 2009 titled the Law Foundation and 16 others Vs Nepra and 9 others on 25.06.2010, the Fuel Adjustment Charges (FAC) of KESC shall not be passed on to the consumers till final orders are passed in the petition.”

According to Nepra's registrar Syed Safeer Hussain, application of both the tariff increase decisions will be subject to notification by the Ministry of Water and Power.

“In order to allow adjustment in KESCL's tariff for the aforesaid cost variation for the current quarter, the Authority has decided to allow a uniform increase in the consumer-end tariff for all consumer categories by Paisa 180 per kWh except for life-line consumers consuming up to 50 units per month. The revised schedule of tariff will be applicable from January 01, 2011 to March 31, 2011,” said Nepra in its determination dated April 19 on the KESC petition for quarterly adjustment in tariff from October to December of last year.

The KESC determination dated April 19 on a petition for monthly fuel adjustment surcharge in tariff for January 2011 said: “In order to allow the KESCL for variation in fuel cost of its own generation as well as power purchased from external sources for the month of January 2011, the Authority has therefore decided to pass on Ps. 84.891/kWh to consumers of KESCL as fuel surcharge adjustment.

“The paisa per kWh, rounded off after taking into account its effect on the consumption of lifeline consumers, to be charged by KESCL in the prospective billing month of April 2011 from each consumer works out to be Ps. 85/kWh.”