Electricity price in Pakistan is high partly because the grid cannot carry cheaper power to the places that need it most. Reports say the National Grid Company (NGC), formerly known as NTDC, has not been able to move cheaper electricity from Sindh and southern Pakistan to major consumption centres in the north. As a result, consumers are bearing billions of rupees in extra costs, on top of tariffs that were already high.
Why cheaper southern power does not reach the north
The grid is the high-voltage network that moves electricity from power plants to cities and industry. Because of transmission limits, the system leans on regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG), which is imported gas turned back from liquid form, and on imported coal. Cheaper sources such as Thar coal, nuclear and wind remain underused as a result.
The resulting inefficiencies are what push the bill up. Each unit made from a costlier fuel raises the average cost that consumers pay, even when cheaper generation is available. The problem is therefore less about how much power the country can produce and more about whether the network can deliver it.
Industry objections and fixed charges
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has questioned the proposed CY2027 Power Purchase Price Reference, the reference used in setting what power purchases cost. In its response to a petition by the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), the business body said consumers should not be forced to pay for a transmission network that cannot deliver cheaper power.
The FPCCI also objected to a proposed increase in fixed charges, particularly capacity payments, which are paid to keep plants available. It argued the extra revenue could sustain high salaries, perks and administrative expenses of managing directors, CEOs and other senior executives in power sector entities. It further warned that a proposed cut in variable charges could give a misleading impression of lower tariffs, while moving more of the burden onto fixed charges and shaping the electricity price in Pakistan that households pay.
What the figures show
At a NEPRA hearing on the June 2026 Fuel Cost Adjustment, transmission constraints were reported to impose an annual financial burden above Rs. 400 billion. On projected generation of 130,081 gigawatt hours, that works out to an estimated Rs. 3.07 per unit. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) is the regulator that oversees power tariffs.
Fuel costs for June 2026 show the gap. RLNG-based electricity cost Rs. 35.5087 per unit, compared with Rs. 11.4629 for Thar coal and Rs. 2.8501 for nuclear power. Replacing RLNG generation with Thar coal could cut fuel costs by about Rs. 24 per unit, a saving that transmission limits are reported to prevent. These are fuel costs, not final tariffs, so they show direction rather than a bill figure. On the numbers reported, the electricity price in Pakistan stays tied to the cost of the fuels the grid must use.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Bijli sasti hone ki bajaye mehngi isliye hai ke National Grid Company sasti bijli Sindh aur janoobi Pakistan se shehron tak nahi pahuncha pati. Is wajah se system mehnga fuel, jaise RLNG aur imported coal, zyada chalata hai. Industry body FPCCI ne fixed charges barhane ki tajweez par aitraz kiya hai, aur kehta hai ke isse asal raahat kam ho sakti hai. Is liye agli baar bill dekhte waqt fixed charges wala hissa zaroor check karein.
