Pakistan’s industry federation seeks electricity below 9 US cents
Pakistan’s industry federation called for electricity tariffs below 9 US cents per unit across all industrial consumers, including the B3 and B4 categories. President Atif Ikram Sheikh criticised selective incentives and fixed charges in a proposed two-part tariff. He argued that firms already organise work around daytime solar supply, limiting scope for further shifts in consumption.
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The federation seeks a lower tariff for all industry
Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, requested industrial electricity below 9 US cents per unit for all industrial consumers. His demand includes the B3 and B4 categories. Sheikh linked the proposal to increasing exports and reducing imports. He argued that selective incentives offer temporary relief, while a uniform reduction would address electricity costs across the industrial sector.[1], [2]
Additional consumption and fixed charges divide the proposals
The government’s incremental consumption package offers a concessional rate for electricity above a business’s historical baseline. Existing consumption remains billed as before, so the incentive applies to additional units. A separate optional two-part time-of-use tariff combines a monthly capacity charge per kilowatt with a variable unit charge. Rates differ between solar, non-solar and peak hours. Sheikh objected to the level of fixed charges in that proposal.[1]
Industry says daytime shifts have limited room left
Sheikh said businesses had already arranged operations around daytime and solar-hour consumption, leaving limited scope to shift more demand from night to day. Industry had raised concerns, Sheikh said, with the Power Division over the previous six months. B3 and B4 consumers still carried cross-subsidies despite receiving higher-voltage supply, he argued. The federation offered private-sector energy expertise for future tariff design and asked for industry’s views to carry weight.[1]
