Electricity Cost Per Unit by Fuel in Pakistan, September 2026: Diesel Rs 62.14, Nuclear Rs 2.90

Short answer: In September 2026, a unit of electricity made from diesel cost Rs 62.14 in fuel alone, while a nuclear unit cost Rs 2.90. RLNG units cost Rs 39.74 and imported coal Rs 17.23. Hydel, wind and solar, with no fuel cost, made 40.9 per cent of all power. The average fuel cost was Rs 9.35 a unit.

Those figures come from the fuel table that CPPA-G, the power purchasing agency, filed for its September fuel charge request, published by NEPRA on 19 October 2026. The table explains why some months push your bill up so sharply. A few hundred units of diesel or imported gas power can cost as much as thousands of units from dams or nuclear plants.

Diesel power cost Rs 62.14 a unit and nuclear Rs 2.90

In September 2026, the fuel cost of one unit ranged from Rs 2.90 for nuclear to Rs 62.14 for diesel, known in the table as HSD. That is 21 times more. Hydel, wind and solar units carry no fuel cost at all.

RLNG means regasified liquefied natural gas, which Pakistan imports by ship. Local gas comes from Pakistani fields and costs about a third as much per unit. Bagasse is waste from sugar cane, burned by sugar mills.

Oil plants made 3.6 per cent of power but 20.3 per cent of the fuel bill

Furnace oil and diesel plants together made 476 million units, 3.6 per cent of September's power. Their fuel cost Rs 25,074 million, which is 20.3 per cent of the month's Rs 123,618 million fuel bill. RLNG made 6.08 per cent of power but took 25.8 per cent of the bill.

Imported coal was the single largest fuel cost, at Rs 37,142 million or 30 per cent. Nuclear made 14.32 per cent of power for only 4.4 per cent of the fuel money. That gap is why the mix matters more than the total units.

Diesel use more than doubled from August

Diesel plants made 213 million units in September, up from 80 million in August, and their unit cost rose from Rs 54.00 to Rs 62.14. RLNG went the other way: 804 million units against 1,311 million, and Rs 39.74 a unit against Rs 45.93.

Total generation fell to 13,217 million units from 14,943 million in August. Hydel's share slipped to 36.58 per cent from 37.84. Wind fell from 833 to 464 million units. The average fuel cost per unit generated fell to Rs 9.35 from Rs 10.01.

Fuel is only part of the price of a unit

These figures are fuel costs only. Plants are also paid fixed capacity charges whether they run or not, and those are a bigger share of the total. CPPA-G's 2027 forecast puts capacity at Rs 14.72 a unit against fuel of Rs 10.14.

So a cheap fuel month does not mean a cheap tariff. The full split for this year is in what a unit costs in fuel and capacity, and the 2027 forecast is in CPPA-G's Rs 27.31 power price forecast.

NEPRA publishes this table every month with the fuel charge hearing notice. To read it yourself:

1. Open the hearing notice for the month's fuel charges adjustment on nepra.org.pk.
2. Find the table with columns GWh, per cent, Rs million and Rs per kWh.
3. Compare the Rs per kWh column for diesel, furnace oil and RLNG with last month's notice.
4. Check the "Net Delivered to DISCOs" line against the reference to see the requested charge.

For September, that comparison gives a request of Rs 2.5624 a unit, covered in the September fuel charge request for November bills.

Common questions about electricity cost by fuel

Which fuel makes the most expensive electricity in Pakistan?

Diesel. In September 2026 its fuel cost was Rs 62.14 a unit, followed by furnace oil at Rs 44.86 and RLNG at Rs 39.74.

Which source is cheapest?

Hydel, wind and solar have no fuel cost. Among fuels, nuclear was cheapest at Rs 2.90 a unit, then local coal at Rs 5.99.

How much of Pakistan's power came from dams in September 2026?

Hydel made 4,834 million units, 36.58 per cent of the total, according to CPPA-G's table in NEPRA's notice.

Why are diesel plants run if they cost so much?

The table does not say. NEPRA requires plants to be run in economic merit order, cheapest first, so costly plants should run only when cheaper supply is short.

Is the Rs 9.35 average what I pay?

No. It is fuel cost per unit generated. Your tariff adds capacity payments, losses, distribution costs and taxes.

Does this cover K-Electric's own plants?

No. The table covers power bought by CPPA-G for the ex-WAPDA companies. K-Electric runs its own plants too.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 20 October 2026. The September units, shares and costs come from NEPRA's notice "Hearing regarding Fuel Charges Adjustment for the month of September 2026 for Ex-WAPDA Distribution Companies", posted on NEPRA's website on 19 October 2026, which reproduces CPPA-G's data. The August figures come from NEPRA's hearing notice for the August 2026 fuel charge, dated 19 September 2026, which we read when it was published. The 2027 capacity figure comes from CPPA-G's power purchase price report posted by NEPRA on 19 October. Shares of the fuel bill and month on month changes are our arithmetic. The table is CPPA-G's claim; NEPRA may revise plant costs in its decision.