The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has reduced power tariffs for domestic, commercial and industrial consumers for the first quarter of 2019.
The domestic consumer tariff has been reduced by 0.5 shillings from 769.5 shillings of the 2018 fourth quarters to shillings 769.0 of the first quarter of 2019.
The average tariff for the commercial consumers has been reduced by shillings 1.3 from 686.1 shillings of last quarter of 2018 to 684.8 of first quarter of 2019.
Medium industrial consumers have been rewarded with a 1.2 shillings reduction from average tariff of 614.4 shillings of fourth 2018 quarter to shillings 613.2 of first 2019 quarter.
The tariffs for large industrial consumers were chief beneficiaries of first 2019 quarter. Their tariff reduced by shillings 4.3 from average of 382.0 shillings of 2018 last quarter to 377.7 shillings for the first quarter of 2019.
Extra-large industrial consumers’ tariff reduced by 0.6 shillings from average 312.5 of 2019 last quarter to 311.9 shillings of first 2019 quarter.
The commercial and three categories of industrial consumer pay a trio categorized tariff.
These are off-peak tariff (from midnight to 6:00 AM), shoulder tariff (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM) and peak tariff (7:00 PM to midnight).
Street lighting tariff has reduced by 1.1 shillings from 752.1 shillings of 2018 fourth quarter to 751.1 shillings of 2019 first quarter.
The tariff changes are quarterly. The adjustments are determined by macroeconomic factors of inflation, exchange rate and fuel prices.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics said inflation stabilised in November and December staying 3.0 percent. The shilling gained value in December while fuel prices were on the rise in the last months of 2018.
The tariff is also influenced by key sector players; UMEME, Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL), Eskom (U) Ltd, Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (UEDCL), Umeme Limited and Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL). These players submit their proposals for review.
– URN
