Regulatory Commission begins action to hike electricity tariff, sends notice to KSEB

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Electricity Regulatory Commission has taken steps to increase power tariff in the state. A notice regarding this was sent to KSEB and others. Due to the national strike, the public hearing, which was scheduled to begin on April 28, was postponed to April. The current tariff expires on March 31, but in the current scenario it will be extended for another two months. The current tariff was fixed on July 19, 2019.

The regulatory commission plans to complete the process within two weeks, starting March 28. In that case, the new rates would have been implemented in April without extending the existing rates. The proceedings had to be extended due to the general strike.

The public hearing will be held on April 1 in Thiruvananthapuram, April 6 in Ernakulam, April 11 in Kozhikode and April 13 in Palakkad. This is Palakkad's first public hearing. KSEB submitted its revenue and expenditure account, expected loss and the request for a fixed rate increase to the commission. The decision will be taken by the Regulatory Commission after the public hearing.

Request to hike 92 paise

KSEB wants an increase of 92 paise per unit for domestic customers. The tariff plan, which seeks an increase of 18.14 per cent, has been submitted to the Regulatory Commission. The board demands 11.88 per cent hike for small business consumers and 11.47 per cent increase for large industries. The loss of KSEB stands at Rs 2852 crore. The rate hike is expected to generate an additional revenue of Rs 2,284 crore.

Rs 2117 crore due

The arrears owed to KSEB by large scale customers are around Rs 2117 crore till December 2021. Out of this, the arrears of public sector undertakings are Rs 1020.74 crores and that of private sector is 1023.76 crores. The rest comes from domestic consumers.