The NEPRA Rs2.36 electricity hike is now official. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has notified a Rs2.36 per unit increase in electricity prices under the monthly fuel cost adjustment for September.
The regulator issued the notification on Saturday, November 7. The increase will appear separately in consumers’ bills, based on the units billed to them in September 2026.
The Express Tribune reported that the positive fuel charge adjustment will apply to all consumer categories of K-Electric and the public distribution companies, known as XWDISCOs. Three groups are exempt: lifeline consumers, electric vehicle charging stations, and prepaid consumers who have opted for a prepaid tariff.
NEPRA Rs2.36 electricity hike: what it means for your bill
A fuel charge adjustment, or FCA, is a routine monthly mechanism. It passes the change in fuel costs for power generation through to consumers, one month at a time.
September’s fuel costs came in higher than the reference level, so the adjustment is positive. That is why the Rs2.36 per unit will show as a separate line on the bill, rather than being folded into the base tariff.
The notification adds that if any November 2026 bills were issued before the decision was notified, the adjustment will be applied in the following month instead. In practice, most households will see the extra charge on the bill that covers their September consumption.
Industrial tariff has not risen, Power Division says
The same day brought a clarification that matters for how the power sector’s numbers are read. A Power Division spokesperson said the industrial tariff had not been increased, and called reports suggesting otherwise incorrect and misleading.
The figure at the centre of the confusion was Rs25.30 per unit. The spokesperson said that is the revised marginal rate under the Incremental Consumption Package for industrial and agricultural consumers, not the industrial tariff itself.
The spokesperson added that the industrial electricity tariff had in fact fallen by about Rs18.94 per unit, including taxes, compared with the tariff in force in March 2024. The average industrial rate in October 2026 stood at Rs34.40 per kilowatt-hour, including taxes.
The distinction matters because the two numbers describe different things. The tariff is the standard rate a consumer pays. The marginal rate under the package is the rate charged only on consumption above a set baseline, offered as an incentive to use more power.
Feature Pakistan reported the Rs25.30 figure this morning as the revised rate under the package. The Power Division’s statement now puts that number in its proper context.
Why the package rate was revised
The spokesperson said the package was being revised because marginal costs had risen, partly due to the war situation in the Gulf. The revised marginal rates will apply from November 2026.
The statement also stressed that the adjustment was structured so the cost of the relief under the package is not passed on to other consumers, in particular those who do not benefit from it.
The package has covered 6,940 gigawatt-hours of incremental consumption between December 2025 and September 2026. The Power Division said an estimated Rs43.5 billion in benefit had already passed on to consumers through it.
Industrial consumers received a benefit of Rs5 to Rs10 per unit on incremental consumption, which lowered their overall bills by an average of Rs1.5 to Rs2.5 per unit, according to the spokesperson.
So far, 209,335 of the 518,316 eligible consumers, about 40 per cent, have benefited from the package.
A familiar pattern for consumers
The FCA is the part of the bill that moves most often. Fuel prices for generation change month to month, and the adjustment follows them, up or down.
For households, the practical point is simple. The Rs2.36 charge relates to September’s fuel costs, and it will sit on the bill as its own line. It does not change the base tariff, and it does not apply to lifeline, prepaid or EV charging consumers.
The episode also shows how easily a single figure can be misread. The Rs25.30 marginal rate under the industrial package looked like a tariff rise in headlines, but the regulator and the Power Division describe it as a separate incentive rate, set against a tariff that has fallen sharply since March 2024.
The same care applies to the wider energy picture. Distribution companies have sought a separate Rs1.34 per unit increase for December, and the Senate has been pressing for a 20-year record of gas royalty payments. Each of those is a separate decision, with its own timing and its own effect on bills.
Fuel costs also feed through from the pump. Petrol prices fell by Rs6.59 per litre in the latest revision, the fifth straight cut, which eases one of the pressures on generation costs over time.
Frequently asked questions
How much has NEPRA raised electricity prices?
NEPRA has notified a Rs2.36 per unit fuel charge adjustment for September 2026. It applies to K-Electric and public distribution company consumers, except lifeline consumers, electric vehicle charging stations and prepaid consumers.
When will the Rs2.36 charge appear on bills?
It will be shown separately in bills based on the units billed in September 2026. If a November 2026 bill was issued before the notification, the charge will be applied in the following month.
Has the industrial tariff gone up to Rs25.30 per unit?
No. The Power Division says Rs25.30 is the revised marginal rate under the Incremental Consumption Package for industrial and agricultural consumers. The industrial tariff itself has fallen by about Rs18.94 per unit, including taxes, since March 2024.
What is the Incremental Consumption Package?
It is an incentive scheme that charges a lower marginal rate on electricity used above a baseline, to encourage extra consumption. It covered 6,940 gigawatt-hours of incremental use between December 2025 and September 2026, with about Rs43.5 billion in benefits passed on to consumers.
