Telangana plans hike in power tariff

Hyderabad: After the hike in RTC fares the Telangana state government will now hike power rates. These rates had been untouched for three years.

“In the present financial situation, it is inevitable,” said a senior official of the Telangana Transmission Corporation (TS TRANSCO). The overall hike to all categories will range from eight per cent to 10 per cent, officials said.

Transco has to submit an annual revenue requirement (ARR) report along with the rate proposal to the Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Authority (TSERC) by each November-end for the next financial year that begins the following April. This time, Transco officials have sought extra time to submit the ARR.

Following consultations with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Transco will finalise power rates and made its submission to ERC.  During the current financial year, Transco is getting a `5,000 crore subsidy. Officials estimate that in the next financial year, the subsidy will swell to `8,000 crore.

The power rate will depend on the quantum of subsidy. Even after the hike in RTC fares, the state government is in no position to give Transco a full subsidy. It is thus expected that the financial burden on residents will be Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore due. The state government has hiked the RTC charges recently.

A senior Transco official said they are collecting Rs 1.45 per unit from domestic consumers below 100 units per month. These charges have been stable for the past two decades and it is time these unit charges were increased. Transco is proposing a hike to all categories: domestic, commercial and high voltage consumers like industries and others.