NEW DELHI: Delhiites will have to pay more for power from this month, particularly in the areas under the BRPL and the BYPL, and this hike is independent of the new tariff structure that is still being worked out.
The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday agreed to a “fuel price adjustment surcharge” for the power distribution companies TPDDL, BRPL and BYPL in the range of 4 to 7 per cent, scrapping the 5 per cent provisional surcharge introduced in February.
While consumers in the TPDDL area will pay less, those in the BRPL and BYPL areas will have to shell out more on account of this surcharge for the next three months. The DERC has allowed TPDDL a fuel price surcharge of 4 per cent, while BRPL and BYPL have been allowed 6 and 7 per cent respectively. This surcharge will be reflected in monthly bills generated from May 1 to July.
“After examining the petitions of the three discoms we have agreed to a conservative surcharge adjustment of 4 to 7 per cent. The companies have been allowed different surcharge adjustment figures based on the difference in consumer base and also on the basis of the costs that different generating stations levy on them, each company buys power from a different generating company,” said a DERC official.
The fuel price surcharge allows companies to recover the extra money spent on purchase of power on a quarterly basis from consumers.
“The hike of 4 to 7 per cent will be for the next three months, but if the new tariff order is announced during this time, then these figures will be overridden,” said the official.
The power distribution companies have been pressing for a quarterly adjustment of prices and earlier had submitted petitions seeking a fuel surcharge adjustment of 10.75 per cent (BRPL), 12.43 per cent (BYPL) and 9.12 per cent (TPDDL) respectively.
The discoms have been seeking a periodic review on the grounds that they have to pay power generation companies like the NTPC on a monthly basis and the present method of recovery of these expenses takes them at least two years.
They have also sought a hike in tariff and petitioned the DERC to raise the power costs to enable them to operate. “We are reaching financial position that is becoming untenable and unless there is a hike we may not be in a position to continue for very long,” said a senior discom official.
The DERC had allowed a 22 per cent increase in tariff in August 2011 and if the petitions and the accounts submitted by the discoms are anything to go by, consumers will need to brace for another hike in the next few months.
