Tube Well Electricity Rate in Pakistan 2026: Rs 28.90 a Unit Plus Rs 400 per kW on Tariff D

An agricultural tube well in Pakistan pays Rs 28.90 a unit on the flat Tariff D-2 rate in 2026, with a fixed charge of Rs 400 per kW a month and a minimum bill of Rs 2,000 a month even when the pump never runs. On a time of use meter the rate is Rs 29.54 in peak hours and Rs 28.69 off peak. Those are the government applicable figures in S.R.O. 279(I)/2026 of 12 February 2026, which we read on 19 October 2026, and they apply under every distribution company.

Farmers ask about this rate more than almost any other, because a 15 or 20 horsepower motor running through the Rabi sowing season is often the biggest bill on the farm. The tariff is simpler than the home slabs: one rate, one fixed charge, one minimum. The catch is in how the fixed charge and the minimum are counted.

Tariff D has two codes, D-1 for SCARP wells and D-2 for ordinary tube wells

D-2 is the agricultural tube well tariff that most farmers are on. D-1 is for SCARP tube wells, the drainage and salinity control wells in the canal command areas, and it carries a different rate. Each code has a flat version and a time of use version for loads of 5 kW and above.

SCARP stands for Salinity Control and Reclamation Project. Those wells were installed to lower the water table rather than to irrigate, and many were later handed to farmers. If your bill says D-1 but your well is an ordinary irrigation well, ask the sub divisional officer to confirm the code, because the two rates are not the same.

The applicable D-2 rate is Rs 28.90 a unit plus Rs 400 per kW a month

The government applicable rate for agricultural tube wells is Rs 28.90 a unit. NEPRA's own determined rate is Rs 32.52, and the Rs 3.62 gap is covered by subsidy. The fixed charge is Rs 400 per kW of sanctioned load a month. SCARP wells under 5 kW pay Rs 29.57 a unit.

The notification adds two lines under the table. First, "there shall be minimum monthly charges Rs 2,000 per consumer per month, even if no energy is consumed". Second, consumers with a sanctioned load under 5 kW can opt for time of use metering. The first line matters in the months between crops, when the pump sits idle and the bill still arrives.

For comparison, a home that uses 201 to 300 units pays Rs 33.10 a unit and a shop pays Rs 37.44, as the guide to home electricity slab rates sets out. The farm rate is the cheapest grid supply available to a private consumer, which is why the connection comes with conditions on land and use. Those are in the steps to get a tube well electricity connection.

Time of use barely rewards a farmer, so the flat rate usually wins

On D-2 the time of use spread is tiny: Rs 29.54 at peak against Rs 28.69 off peak, a gap of 85 paisa. Against the flat Rs 28.90, running entirely off peak saves 21 paisa a unit, and any peak running costs 64 paisa more. For most irrigation schedules the flat rate is the safer choice.

SCARP time of use is different. Its peak rate of Rs 42.79 is Rs 18.08 above its off peak rate of Rs 24.71, so a SCARP well that pumps only at night pays far less. The peak window is 6 pm to 10 pm until the end of November and 5 pm to 9 pm from 1 December, per the guide to electricity peak hours. A timer on the starter is the cheapest way to stay out of it.

A 15 kW well running 200 hours a month costs about Rs 95,000 before adjustments

Take a 15 kW sanctioned load, which is about 20 horsepower, running 200 hours in a month. If the motor draws close to its rating, that is roughly 3,000 units. At Rs 28.90 the energy charge is Rs 86,700, the fixed charge is Rs 6,000, and the base bill is Rs 92,700. Our arithmetic, before the fuel charge and taxes.

Two things stand out. The fixed charge alone is Rs 6,000 a month on a 15 kW sanction, whether or not the well runs, and it exceeds the Rs 2,000 minimum. And the monthly fuel charge adjustment adds to farms as it does to homes; the October rate is worked through in the fuel charge calculation. The quarterly adjustment, electricity duty and sales tax come after that.

Solar is why so many wells are leaving this tariff

Pakistan's 2024 agricultural census counted 912,327 solar tube wells, a figure we set out in the report on farm power in the census. At Rs 28.90 a unit plus a fixed charge the grid is no longer cheap, and provincial subsidies push the switch along.

1. Read the tariff code on the bill. D-2 is an ordinary agricultural well, D-1 is SCARP.
2. Check the sanctioned load in kW. The fixed charge is Rs 400 for each kW, every month.
3. Multiply units by Rs 28.90, or by the peak and off peak rates if the meter is time of use.
4. Add the fuel charge adjustment for the month and then the quarterly adjustment and taxes.
5. If the pump sat idle and the bill is still above the fixed charge, ask for the reading record.
6. If you are weighing solar, the Punjab scheme's terms are in the guide to the Punjab solar tube well subsidy.

Farms and factories that use more units than in the same month last year may also qualify for a concession rate on the extra units, which NEPRA is reviewing, as reported in the piece on the incremental consumption package.

Common questions about the tube well electricity rate

What is the electricity rate for a tube well in Pakistan in 2026?

Rs 28.90 a unit on Tariff D-2, with a fixed charge of Rs 400 per kW a month, before the fuel charge adjustment, quarterly adjustment and taxes.

Is there a minimum bill for an agricultural connection?

Yes. The notification sets a minimum of Rs 2,000 a month even if no energy is consumed. The fixed charge usually exceeds it anyway.

What are the peak and off peak rates for a tube well?

Rs 29.54 at peak and Rs 28.69 off peak on D-2 time of use. SCARP D-1 time of use is Rs 42.79 peak and Rs 24.71 off peak.

Is the rate the same in Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan?

Yes. The government applicable schedule is uniform for every distribution company, including K-Electric. Provincial subsidies, where they exist, are paid separately.

Can a small tube well choose a time of use meter?

Yes. The notification says consumers with a sanctioned load under 5 kW can opt for time of use metering. On D-2 the saving is small.

Does the rate include the fuel charge?

No. NEPRA adds a monthly fuel charge adjustment on top, Rs 1.1086 a unit on October 2026 bills, and it changes every month.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 19 October 2026. Tariff codes, rates, the fixed charge, the Rs 2,000 minimum and the time of use option come from S.R.O. 279(I)/2026 dated 12 February 2026, the Ministry of Energy notification of NEPRA's tariff rationalisation decision, which we opened from NEPRA's distribution tariff page on 19 October 2026. We read the agriculture block of Annex A-1 and confirmed the D-2 figures against Annex C, the clearer K-Electric schedule, which prints the same Rs 28.90, Rs 29.54 and Rs 28.69. The SCARP D-1 figures appear only in the ex-WAPDA annex, which is a low resolution scan, so treat them as read from that scan. The fuel charge of Rs 1.1086 is NEPRA's 7 October 2026 decision. The 15 kW example and all differences are our own arithmetic; actual units depend on the motor and the hours. We did not read any provincial subsidy notification for this piece.