ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Leghari has revealed that the number of electricity consumers using less than 200 units per month has surged from around 6–7 million to approximately 18.3 million.
Responding to questions during a National Assembly session, the minister clarified that no electricity tariff has been offered for cryptocurrency mining, while the country currently has around 7,000 megawatts of surplus power. He said there are roughly 35 million consumers connected to the national grid.
Leghari informed the House that around 18.5 million consumers receive about 90% subsidy on consumption between 0–100 units, while those using 100–200 units receive around 70% subsidy. “In some slabs, there will be a marginal per-unit impact,” he noted.
The minister said that due to recent tariff adjustments over the past nine months, electricity for consumers using up to 200 units has become 60% cheaper. In June 2024, industries were contributing Rs. 255 billion in cross-subsidies, which has now been reduced to Rs. 94 billion. “We have brought down the electricity tariff, including taxes, from Rs. 48.7 to Rs. 38.4 per unit,” he added.
Leghari stressed that the government has reduced the burden of cross-subsidies and lowered overall electricity prices without transferring this burden to domestic consumers. He stated that tariffs for protected consumers have been reduced by about 58%, while non-protected consumers have seen a reduction of 11% to 17% depending on the slab. He also announced that the government will not purchase additional electricity in the future.
