ISLAMABAD – The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a tariff of Rs 23.57/kWh for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS), despite a dissenting note from Member (Technical) Rafique Ahmad Shaikh, who opposed placing additional financial burdens on general consumers under the pretext of promoting electric vehicles.
According to the authority’s decision, a review of its earlier ruling from April 15, 2025—related to the Motion and Policy Guidelines submitted by the federal government for rationalizing EVCs tariffs—was warranted. As a result, the Authority decided to revise paragraph 28(19) of that decision.
The revised clause replaces the previous provision under “A-2 Commercial” of Part-II in the tariff terms and conditions issued on June 14, 2024. The new clause states that EVCs will provide charging services at Rs 23.57/kWh, plus a market-determined margin. EVCs will be billed under the A-2(d) tariff, and monthly Fuel Charges Adjustments (FCAs)—whether positive or negative—will not apply.
In his dissent, Member (Technical) Rafique Ahmad Shaikh acknowledged the importance of promoting EV adoption for a sustainable energy future but disagreed with the cost-sharing approach.
“In my view, it is inequitable to shift the cost of incentivizing one sector onto all consumers, particularly when a significant portion of the population neither has access to nor the ability to utilize EV technology,” he stated. He emphasized that subsidies should come from sources such as government grants or external funding, not existing consumers.
Shaikh reiterated his support for a Cost of Service Tariff structure and argued that subsidies should be limited to supporting low-income residential consumers, not commercial enterprises. “For these reasons, I respectfully dissent from the majority decision as a matter of principle,” he concluded. Ends
