FPCCI calls for industrial electricity tariff below 9 cents to boost exports

FPCCI has asked the government to bring power rates for every industrial user below 9 cents per unit, arguing that a uniform cut would sharpen export competitiveness and lift output. FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh called the drop to 12 cents over two years a positive move, but said further relief is needed for industry to be sustainably supported. He added that any reduction should cover every industrial consumer without exception.

Sheikh regarded the Incremental Consumption Package, the current 12-cent rate and the proposed time-of-use scheme with two parts as stopgaps that leave the wider cost issue unresolved. B3 and B4 consumers, he said, still bear cross-subsidy charges even though they take supply at higher voltages and are cheaper to serve. He also warned that the two-part tariff, with its fixed monthly capacity charge, would be unworkable given logistics disruptions linked to the ongoing war.

Sheikh said industries had already organised production around daytime solar hours, leaving little room to shift use, and that self-generated solar power remains cheaper than the grid even under the proposed rates. He cautioned that selective concessions could redistribute costs among consumers rather than reduce overall energy bills. FPCCI thanked the Prime Minister and Power Minister, asking that business concerns be reflected in future policy.