Electricity consumers across Pakistan are set to face higher bills after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority approved new tariff adjustments that will place an additional burden of about Rs23 billion on users.

In a late-night notification, the regulator announced that electricity prices will increase by Rs1.98 per unit in March. The increase includes Rs1.63 per unit under the fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for January 2026 and Rs0.35 per unit under the quarterly tariff adjustment (QTA), which will be recovered over the next three months.

Officials said the FCA alone will generate around Rs14 billion in March, while approximately Rs8.7 billion will be recovered through the quarterly adjustment during the next three months.

According to the regulator, the Rs1.6274 per kilowatt-hour FCA will apply to all consumer categories of K-Electric and power distribution companies that were previously part of the Water and Power Development Authority. However, lifeline consumers, electric vehicle charging stations, and prepaid electricity users on prepaid tariffs will be exempt from the increase.

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Nepra also directed distribution companies and K-Electric to include the fuel cost adjustment for January 2026 in electricity bills issued in March.

The regulator noted that additional electricity supply from the national grid to K-Electric helped limit the tariff hike. Without this supply, the total increase could have reached Rs3.88 per unit, significantly raising the financial burden on consumers.