Delhi power regulator likely to consider feedback in its tariff order

The DERC will carefully study the submissions by stakeholders during its public hearing and consider it in revising the power tariff for 2022-23, that is likely to be issued in June, chairman of the national capital's power regulator Justice (retd) Shabihul Hasnain said on Friday.

Various issues, including the burden on power consumers due to current rates of fixed charges and pension trust surcharge, were raised during a two-day public hearing, beginning Thursday, of stakeholders such as residents associations.

''We will process the feedback from the stakeholders and analyse it closely so the same could be considered in our tariff order that may be issued in June,'' Hasnain told PTI.

Several consumer representative offered insightful submissions that will be studied by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission(DERC) and considered for different aspects of tariff including the fixed charges, he said.

The residents associations had on Thursday raised the issues of fixed charges and pension trust fund burden bore by the consumers.

The public hearing was conducted by the DERC on petitions filed by the power generation and distribution companies in the run-up to the tariff revision for 2022-23.

The public hearing conducted virtually in view of COVID-19 was presided by the DERC chairman and attended by member of the Commission AK Ambasht.

The residents associations had suggested usage based fixed charges and relieving the consumers from the burden of pension trust surcharge borne by them.

Delhi discoms in their petitions filed with DERC have sought suitable cost reflective rates and time-bound recovery of regulatory assets.

The petitions uploaded on the DERC website showed that the revenue requirement was Rs 9,187 crore for BRPL, Rs 4,409 crore for BYPL and Rs 7,001 for TPDDL in 2020-21.

The standalone revenue gap for the three discoms has been computed to be around Rs 2,968 crore.

The rate of electricity in Delhi has not increased in the last six to seven years, with the Arvind Kejriwal government providing full subsidy on consumption of 200 units and up to Rs 800 on consumption of 201-400 units.

The government has also announced to allow financially capable consumers to opt out of subsidy scheme, if desired by them, from October 1.