ISLAMABAD - Another blow to power consumers as federal cabinet agreed to raise electricity rates for commercial, agricultural, and large consumers, while maintaining current rates for industrial users, as reported on Thursday.

Power Division informed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) of this decision. Starting in July, commercial consumers will see their per-unit rate increase by Rs8.04 to Rs77.15.

Agricultural consumers will see Rs6.62 per unit hike, bringing their rate to Rs46.83. Meanwhile, the tariff for general services will rise by Rs6.98 per unit to Rs61.03, and non-protected consumers will face an increase of Rs5.51 per unit to Rs59.96.

Industrial consumers will continue to pay unchanged rates. Nepra recently announced a fuel cost adjustment hike of Rs3.33 per unit for May, applicable to all consumer categories except Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) and lifeline consumers.

The total additional cost for consumers in this fiscal year is estimated at over Rs580 billion. This decision follows government's approval of a potential 51pc or Rs7.12 per-unit price increase effective from July.

The average national electricity price has risen by Rs4.55 per unit, raising the uniform rate from Rs29 to Rs35.50 per unit. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced relief measures for consumers using less than 200 units of electricity over the next three months.