BENGALURU: Consumers will have to pay more for electricity over the next three months as the Energy Department passes on the higher cost of power purchased from the open market to meet peak demand in September.
Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) Managing Director N Shivashankara said the Fuel Purchase Price Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) charge would be around 0.5 paise per unit for September to November. The charge is listed in a separate column in electricity bills.
Explaining the reason for the additional charge, Shivashankara said power was usually purchased at Rs 6-6.15 per unit. However, amid a nationwide demand surge in September, the department had to procure power from the open market at Rs 10 per unit. The additional cost is now being passed on to consumers in a phased manner.
Meanwhile, the Energy Department plans to issue an advisory urging citizens to stagger their electricity consumption to help manage rising demand.
“Managing morning and evening peak loads has become a challenge. There is a need to shift the load. An advisory will be issued asking people to use washing machines, air conditioners and other major electrical appliances during non-peak hours. This will ensure a more even distribution of power consumption throughout the day,” a senior Energy Department official said.
The department is also holding discussions with the Agriculture Department to urge farmers to avoid cultivating summer and water-intensive crops until the situation stabilises, the official added.
The peak power demand for 2026-27 was recorded on September 11, at 20 gigawatts (20,000 MW). Last year, peak demand stood at 18,650 MW during the summer months.
Shivashankara said the system could manage a peak demand of 20,000 MW, along with an additional load of 2,000 MW. Beyond that, managing demand could become difficult and would depend on power availability.
Power consumption has also risen in October, Shivashankara said. Over the past few days, daily consumption has ranged between 340 million units (MU) and 360 MU. Consumption stood at 339 MU on Saturday (October 17) and 362 MU on Friday (October 16). It dipped to 282 MU on Sunday (October 18).
Meanwhile, Energy Department data show that around 1.3 lakh consumers out of the state's 1.65 crore beneficiaries have opted out of the Gruha Jyothi guarantee scheme, one of the five guarantees introduced by the Congress government.
A senior government official said verification for the scheme would conclude on October 31. Those who have not completed registration or have opted out will not be included when registration for new consumers begins.
The government has also clarified that only voters in Karnataka are eligible for the scheme, prompting the department to seek voter ID details from applicants.