7 months ago
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Following a State authorities argumentation directive, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) is proposing to region the headdress of 10 paise per portion connected the surcharge that tin beryllium collected connected energy bills by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).
The determination comes successful the aftermath of the Centre’s insistence that the provisions of its Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2022, beryllium followed if Kerala is to marque further borrowings and the consequent argumentation directive by the State authorities to the Commission.
In a draught amendment projected to its regulations governing the presumption and conditions for determining energy tariffs, the Commission, headed by T.K. Jose, has taken the presumption that the continuation of the ceiling bounds of 10 paise per portion is nary longer necessary. “The Commission truthful proposes to delete the ceiling provision, enabling the organisation licensee to retrieve the substance surcharge strictly arsenic per the approved formula, portion continuing to safeguard user interests done enhanced transparency and yearly truing-up petitions,” the draught amendment said.
The Commission volition clasp an online nationalist proceeding connected its amendment connection connected December 23.
Additional spending
Fuel surcharges are imposed connected energy bills to retrieve the further spending by organisation companies connected powerfulness purchases. The Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2022, had required the State commissions to specify a terms accommodation look by which the variations successful powerfulness acquisition costs tin beryllium automatically passed connected to the consumers. In 2023, the Commission, successful a bid to support the consumers, had acceptable the 10-paise headdress connected the automatic betterment of substance surcharge by organisation licencees (in this case, the KSEB).
An investigation of the month-wise substance surcharge request for the play from June 2023 to November 2025 showed that the intent of the automatic betterment mechanics nether the Electricity (Amendment) Rules was not being afloat met, the Commission noted successful the draught of the projected amendment.
Also, the State authorities has issued a argumentation absorption nether Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003, to comply with the provisions successful the Electricity (Amendment) Rules for facilitating the “automatic, timely and implicit betterment of powerfulness acquisition outgo variations,” it noted.
The State authorities absorption had travel successful the aftermath of the revised guidelines issued by the Union Finance Ministry for States availing further borrowing of 0.5% of their Gross State Domestic Product.
