PSERC hikes power tariff by 10 to 15 paise per unit

Aman Sood

Patiala, June 14

The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has increased the power rates for various consumer categories, including agriculture, in the state.

The new tariff for the financial year 2024-25 will be applicable from June 16. This year, the average cost of supply has been worked out to 715.55 paise per unit, which is 11.21 paise per unit higher than last year’s cost of 704.34 paise per unit.

The PSERC, in its tariff order, has made a token increase of 10 to 12 paise per unit for domestic consumers and 15 paise per unit each for the industry and agriculture sectors, respectively.

PSPCL officials said the tentative amount of tariff hike in the case of the domestic category will be Rs 133 crore of which Rs 120 crore will be borne by the state government. The agricultural tariff has been increased by 15 paise per unit but will not put any additional burden on the consumers as the power supply to AP consumers is fully subsidised. “The tentative amount of the tariff hike in the case of agricultural consumers is around Rs 181 crore,” the officials said.

In its tariff order for the 2024-25 fiscal, the PSERC has allowed a tariff hike of Rs 654.35 crore, a majority of which will be borne by the state government in the shape of subsidies for various sections. Some prescribed consumers will bear a hike of Rs 5 crore, mentioned in the order.

The commission has allowed an overall tariff hike of 1.59 per cent, which will result in an increase of approximately 11 paise per unit. There is a tariff increase of 10 to 12 paiseper unit for the first 300 units for the domestic category consumers having a load up to 7kW and it will not put any extra burden on most of the consumers as it is covered under the monthly/bimonthly free supply of 300/600 units.

There is a hike of Rs 5 per kVA in the fixed charges of industrial consumers and 15 paise per unit variable charges, which will also be part of the existing power subsidy as per the Punjab Industrial Policy-2022. “The entire impact of Rs 335-crore subsidies to the industry will go as power subsidy,” said officials.

The feed-in tariff of net metering for solar rooftop has been decreased by 14 paise per unit from Rs 2.65 per unit to Rs 2.51 per unit. The premium for green energy requisition has been decreased by 40 paise per unit.

State to bear Rs 636 cr burden of hike

Of the total Rs 654 crore financial burden due to the tariff hike, the state government will bear Rs 636 crore while Rs 18 crore will be passed on to the consumers, taking the total subsidy bill of Punjab to a whopping Rs 21,909 crore for this fiscal.

Withdraw hike, demands SAD

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the AAP government had played a cruel joke on Punjabis by hiking the power tariff and asked it to withdraw the hike immediately.