UPPCL for change in tariff slabs to get more revenue
THE ANNUAL REVENUE REQUIREMENT PROPOSAL (FOR 2021-22) SUBMITTED BY UPPCL TO UP ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION HAS PROPOSED REVISION OF THE CURRENT TARIFF STRUCTURE
LUCKNOW: The UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) has sought reorganisation of existing power tariff slabs applicable to consumers under various categories in a bid that may make power usage costlier for some categories, bringing more revenue to the corporation without any direct tariff increase.
The annual revenue requirement (ARR) proposal (for 2021-22) submitted by the corporation to UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has proposed revision of the current tariff structure in a way as some tariff categories will be deleted or merged with others while fresh slabs will also be created if the regulator accepts the proposal.
“The UPPCL has filed the ARR with a proposal for changes in current tariff slabs much like the proposal it filed last year and we rejected the same,” a senior UPERC official said, adding “We will now examine the ARR before we admit it for consideration.”
Last year, the UPPCL had sought reduction in subcategories/slabs under consumer categories LMV-1 (domestic) LMV-2 (commercial), LMV-3 (public lamps), Lmv-4(institutions), Lmv-6(small and medium industries) LMV-9 (temporary supply), HV-1 (nonindustrial bulk load) and Hv-3(heavy industries).
It also proposed increase in the number of sub-categories under the category LMV-7 (public water works) and sought deletion of the entire category LMV-8 (state tube wells) proposing its merger in the category LMV-7. “The proposal is, by and large, on the same lines this year,” the official said.
Opposing the proposal, UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avadhesh Kumar Verma on Tuesday filed a petition in the UPERC urging it to reject the UPPCL’S entire ARR which he claimed was based on imaginary figures. “The proposal for change in the consumer categorization is an attempt to get tariff increase through the backdoor,” he alleged.
The ARR has put the UPPCL’S total revenue requirement during 2021-22 at Rs 81,901 crore that also included an estimated expenditure of Rs 62,020 crore on the purchase of 1,20,043 million units (MUS) of electricity during the year.
The UP Power Corporation Ltd has forecast the distribution losses to 16.64% for 2021-22 against the 11.08% approved by the UPERC in its last tariff order.