No change in power tariff

Aperc leaves agriculture tariff at last year's level.

Notwithstanding the projections of higher consumption by the agriculture sector, the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (Aperc) has fixed the last year's levels of 13,399 million units (mu) under this category while allowing a total sale of 45,610 mu to various categories of consumers during the year 2007-08.

Announcing the retail supply tariff for the financial year beginning April 1, 2007 here on Thursday, S Surya Prakash Rao, Aperc secretary, said the status quo was maintained on the agriculture supply in the wake of conflicting views over the actual energy consumption by the sector in the absence of meters.

Several NGOs and farmers' organisations have been alleging that a portion of the losses are being swept under the carpet by the power utilities in the name of agriculture consumption.

"The Indian Statistical Institute, which was entrusted with the responsibility to ascertain the actual agriculture consumption levels in the state, has recently submitted its interim report. Aperc will take a final view after studying the report," Prakash Rao said.

The four Discoms have projected the agriculture consumption at 16,069 mu for 2007-08, while reporting the agriculture consumption for the current year at over 15,000 mu.

Except a reduction of 10 paise in respect of railway traction to Rs 4.10 per unit, the Aperc maintained the existing tariffs for all the categories of consumers for the new financial year as per the recommendations made by the power utilities.

Also, the single point supply at HT level available to industrial colonies under the HT category 6 has been extended to co-operative housing societies in the new tariff order. This is the fourth consecutive year that tariff for the household consumption remained unchanged.

The discoms have projected the revenue from sale for the year at Rs 10,529 crore as compared with Rs 9845,51 crore during the current year, while the non-tariff income to the power utilities during the same period has been fixed at Rs 982 crore by the commission.

The increase in revenues is mainly attributed to higher consumption by other categories of consumers such as industry.

The industrial consumption is expected to be at 11,287 mu, which includes the consumption of ferro alloy units, while the HT consumption sans ferro alloys is expected to be moderately higher at 10,506 mu as compared with about 10,000 mu during the current year.