The Hindu Business Line : TNEB seeks regulator nod to raise charges 4-fold for HT units

Chennai, Nov. 18 The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board plans to charge four times the normal rates for high tension industrial and commercial consumers exceeding their quota of maximum demand and three times the normal rates for excess energy consumed by them.

The board made this representation in its petition to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC), which held the consultation of the State Advisory Committee today on the TNEB’s proposal for restriction and control of power supply to tide over the prevailing power shortage in the State.

According to participants, the TNEB presented the proposal at the meeting in which over 20 members of the committee representing a cross section of the industry and commercial consumers, power producers, TNEB employees and industry associations, according to official sources.

A public hearing of the TNEB’s proposal is to be held in Chennai on Friday.

The petition (M.P 42/2008) by the TNEB is in line with the order of the TNERC last October when it held that the TNEB’s proposal to disconnect power supply to enforce restriction and control measures violated the Electricity Act 2003. As directed by the commission then, the TNEB submitted the petition seeking approval for levying excess demand and energy charges for industrial and commercial consumers availing of high tension and low tension services.

The TNEB said the State Government has directed it to implement power supply restrictions and control measures to manage the present shortage and distribute the available electricity equitably.

The TNEB has sought the regulatory commission’s approval to charge four times the normal rates for HT industrial and commercial consumers exceeding their quota of maximum demand and to levy three times the normal rates for excess energy consumed.

It has also sought the TNERC’s permission to collect demand charges for HT industrial and commercial consumers for 90 per cent of quota demand or actual recorded demand whichever is higher.

LTCT industrial and commercial consumers will be charged three times more for consuming power in excess of the fixed quota and levied 50 per cent additional charges over the applicable tariff for excess consumption over the ceiling fixed for the category.

Control measures

The restriction and control measures planned include a 40 per cent cut on base demand and energy for high tension and LTCT services for industrial and commercial segments. The base energy consumption for HT services will be the average consumption of any three consecutive months advantageous to the consumer during the billing period from October 2007 and September 2008. The base demand will be the highest maximum demand registered in any month during the period.

To provide electricity to all homes, street lighting and essential services, during the evening hours the quota will be five per cent of that fixed for demand and energy for HT and LTCT industrial services and 10 per cent of the quota for demand and energy for HT and LTCT commercial consumers.

Consumers in the low tension industrial and commercial segment consuming more than 2,000 units bimonthly will have to reduce their consumption by 20 per cent. The consumption ceiling of these services will be fixed at 80 per cent of their highest recorded bimonthly consumption between October 2007 and September 2008.

More Stories on : Power | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page