August FCA, lower than feared

The power regulator agreed to a positive FCA of Rs1.11 per unit for August, far lower than the Rs1.73 per unit requested by CPPA-G, according to Business Recorder. Of the Rs17.28 billion reduction in the claim, Rs15.74 billion was tied to RLNG-based plants. Consumers who qualify will see the adjustment in their October bills.

Output in August totalled 14.94 billion units, which exceeded the reference by 3.3 percent, yet the fuel mix differed sharply from planning assumptions. Imported coal output reached 2.33 billion units, up from a planned 1.08 billion, and its share rose to 15.6 percent. RLNG-based output was 26 percent under plan at 1.31 billion units, while nuclear supply dropped 36 percent to 1.53 billion units.

The newspaper notes that much of the early pressure reflected corrections to previous-period adjustments. CPPA-G had claimed Rs10.62 billion for lower RLNG prices, but Nepra said the claim lacked plant-wise and month-wise breakdowns. The regulator also said the reported Rs5.50 per unit local coal cost may not be the final economic figure, since true-ups will feed into later FCAs.