Transco mulls extra charge on open access consumers

Hyderabad: TSTransco is planning to impose additional surcharge on power purchasers in the open access system, through which power can be purchased from anyone. Major consumers such as industries, commercial establishments have signed power purchase agreements with distribution companies and purchasing power in the open access system. Due to this, state discoms are incurring losses.

The TSTransco officials submitted the proposals to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tues-day, requesting him to allow lying of surcharge at the rate of '3 per unit like in Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and other states. Transco officials told Mr Rao that major power consumers particularly indu-stries were purchasing power in the open market when it was available at lower tariffs from discoms.

They said that the Discoms assess power demand and enter into power purchase agreements with generation corporations to purchase power for 25 years. Discoms have to pay the amount to the total power mentioned in the PPA, even though they may not draw the entire quantum. To overcome the deficit caused by major consumers moving to the open market, Transco has proposed to impose an additional surcharge at 13 per unit from those purchasing more than 1MW of power in the open market.