VIJAYAWADA: Discoms have not proposed any change in the consumer tariffs for the ensuing financial year 2024-25. The revenue gap burden will not be on consumers. Whatever gap that may arise after the scrutiny of Discoms’ proposals by the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC), it is expected that based on the recommendations, the government will come forward to bridge the gap through the subsidy support and tariff concessions as done in the previous year at an appropriate time as there will not be any increase in the power tariff in the financial year 2024-25 also.
The revenue gap at the current tariff for the financial year 2024-25 is estimated to be Rs 13,878.11 crore.
The three Discoms in the State have not proposed any tariff increase across all categories in their Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR) and Proposed Retail Supply Tariff (PRST) filings submitted to the APERC.
APTransco, APCPDCL, APEPDCL and APSPDCL filed their Multi-Year ARR of network business for the ensuing 5th control period spanning FY 2024-25 to 2028-29, before the APERC. APERC Chairman Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy and member Thakur Rama Singh received the filings submitted by the power utilities. During the last financial year, Discoms had filed an ARR with a gap of around Rs 11,800 crore. After scrutiny by the APERC, the State government had come forward to support Discoms under Section 65, and undertake other tariff concessions amounting to Rs 10,135 crore.
This included subsidies towards free agriculture power supply, lower slab domestic consumers, tariff concession extended to aquaculture farmers, SC and ST domestic consumers, Rajaka community, power looms, salons, gold plating, etc. Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand APTransco Joint Managing Director KVN Chakradhar Babu and CMDs of three distribution companies participated in the filing process.